Mangan, April 6 -- Around 1,500 tourists, along with approximately 169 vehicles and 79 bikes, are currently stranded in Sikkim's Lachen following the temporary closure of the Lachen axis due to a road breach near Tarum Chu Bridge.

According to the Mangan District Collector Anant Jain, the evacuation process has started today under the close coordination of the concerned authorities. However, due to the blockage on the Lachen-Chungthang road, tourists cannot be brought down through the usual route at present.

As an alternative, the stranded tourists are planned to be evacuated through the Dongkya La Pass, which is located at an altitude of over 17,000 feet, and then moved towards Lachung and Gangtok. At present, snow clearance work is ac...