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Sikkim quake: Fresh landslide cuts off north yet again

Last updated on: September 20, 2011 17:46 IST

North Sikkim was cut off again due to a heavy landslide on the road linking worst-hit Mangan barely hours after it was cleared earlier on Tuesday. Official sources said the landslide occurred 2 km ahead of Dikchu barely hours after troops and relief teams had opened the road to Mangan, the epicentre of Sunday evening's 6.8 temblor that rocked Sikkim and the northeastern, eastern and northern state.

The army is, however, continuing its search for the bus, which went missing with 22 passengers in north Sikkim. Defence sources said the bus is expected to be at Tung, which lies between Mangan and Chungthan.

Mamata inspects Lumsey

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached Sikkim by road from Siliguri at around 3.30 pm accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy. She inspected Lumsey, a residential area in the town accompanied by Sikkim Information and Public Relations Minister C B Karki and Lok Sabha member of Parliament P B Rai, official sources said. She then went to the Central Referral Hospital, Manipal, in Gangtok and interacted with the injured in the quake. She also visited the portion of the hospital damaged by the temblor.

Travel Agent Association of Sikkim, a nodal body of tour operators in the state, said Lachung and Lachen in north Sikkim are still cut off and a Pawanhans rescue helicopter of the state government reached Lachung during the day. At Lachung, a remote area, three injured persons were to be airlifted to Gangtok for treatment but could not be transported as the copter was already packed with rescued people. The locals have pleaded for rations as there are provisions for only two days.