Lachung in North Sikkim after Earthquake

 GANGTOK, 25 Sept: Sub Divisional Megistrate, Chungthang, Tashi Chopel, the senior-most Sikkim State Government official at the devastatingly hit North Sikkim town, has a large beat to cover, covering the entire stretch north of Chungthang.
He was in station on the evening of 18 September when the earthquake struck, damaging more than 80% of the structures there leaving 12 dead and many injured. This has been the worst hit town of the State and the officer has had his hands full, his task starting immediately last Sunday with handling the rescue of people trapped in a collapsed building there. He has had to look out for the more than 2,000 people living in Chungthang will still coordinating efforts to reach relief to affected areas in the sub-division.
All roads to Chungthang, from every side is cut off but helicopter flights have finally stabilised. As the situation settles down to some extent in Chungthang, with the relief measures organised, the SDM today left for Lachung.
Inclement weather made helicopter sorties impossible, and with rumours spreading panic and confusion and to assure residents in Lachung that the administration was genuinely concerned for them, Mr. Chopel walked it to Lachung today.
Lachung is 22 kms from Chungthang, but the road is littered with landslides so big that officials are not even wagering a guess on by when it will be cleared for traffic. Mr. Chopel obviously took the risk as much to make a first-hand appraisal of the situation there as to reassure residents that concern for their welfare was genuine.
Meanwhile officials in Gangtok announced today that two Medical Officers each were being flown to the Primary Health Sub-Centres at Lachen and Lachung in Army helicopters on Sunday.

No trace of 120 people at a North Sikkim village

TUNG (NORTH SIKKIM): There is still no trace of 120 residents of Bay village in North Sikkim, located between Lachung and Chungthang, after Sunday's powerful quake even as a flash flood at Lachung poses a fresh threat of landslides.

"We find no trace as yet of 120 people living in 14 huts at Bay village as the area is totally devastated. There is a lot of debris ... and the residents have gone missing," National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team in-charge Nisith Upadhyay said.

He said four NDRF teams have fanned out to worst-hit Lingu, Sakyang, Pentong and Bay villages in North Sikkim which have been rendered almost inaccessible after the quake.

"We are afraid some bodies may have been trapped under the flattened houses as boulders are lying strewn all over," he added.

According to SR Bhutia, deputy director of horticultural society of Sikkim, who led the four teams, "we haven't found any person in the village. We are searching for them."

Meanwhile, a flash flood at Lachung Chu river has posed a threat of fresh landslides at Lachung, one of the worst-hit by the quake, according to a Geological Survey of India officer.

"The flash flood will loosen the soil and may trigger fresh landslides in the area," the GSI's Sikkim zone officer said.

Forty personnel of the Reserve Army Engineering regiment were working round-the-clock to clear the National Sikkim Highway blocked by landslides.

Army rescuers gained further access to quake-hit areas with the removal of debris collected on the 70-km Gangtok-Mangan road following the temblor for another 15 KM upto Tung.

Army sources said it would take 10 to 12 days more to reach the affected villages after removing the rocks and boulders blocking the road.

A portion of an entire hill had tumbled down on the highway which leads to the Tibet border.

Personnel of the Army's engineering regiment have been exploding dynamites to remove the huge boulders that came hurtling down on the highway.

Road connectivity with Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen has not yet been established.

Three WB tourists killed in Lachung road accident

Gangtok, Oct 27 (PTI) Three tourists from West Bengal died and seven others injured when a vehicle in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in North Sikkim district today.

The incident happened near Shiva Mandir area, about 25 km from Lachung, in the district. The vehicle carrying the ten tourists to the hot springs at Yuma Samdong hit a boulder, overturned and fell into a gorge, SP B S Tamang said.

Three of the tourists, including a woman, died on the spot, he said. The bodies have been recovered and identified as Tapas Roy Ghatak, Debashish Ghatak, both from West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district and Nanda Ghose from Kolkata, the SP said.

The injured were rushed to Chungthang primary health centre, Tamang added.