Odisha CM coordinates rescue efforts after Sikkim road tragedy involving state tourists

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday directed that a special team be rushed to Sikkim as some residents from Odisha were in the tourist vehicle which plunged into the Teesta river in Mangan district of the Himalayan state.

Odisha CMO sources said, Majhi called Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and inquired about the fate of Odisha passengers in the tourist vehicle. He expressed concern over passenger safety and medical treatment.

Majhi also asked officials to make arrangements for the safe return of the Odisha passengers from Sikkim, they said.

One person was killed, two injured, and eight others went missing when a vehicle carrying 11 tourists plunged into the Teesta River in North Sikkim’s Mangan district, police said Friday.

The tourist vehicle plunged more than 1,000 feet into the river Teesta near Munsithang along the Lachen-Lachung highway Thursday night, they said.

Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and BJD president Naveen Patnaik also in a post on X said: “I have learned that many Odia passengers were on the tourist bus that met with an accident in the Teesta river in Sikkim. May Lord Jagannath give strength to the families to face this challenging time. I pray for the speedy recovery of those affected by the accident”

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das also expressed concern over the road accident in Sikkim. He urged the state government to extend all help to the people.

Meanwhile, sources said that Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha secretary Iti Shree Jena is among the six from the state who were among the missing persons. Jena was travelling with her family from Odisha’s Jajpur when the tragic accident occurred. Her son and nephew have been rescued, local police sources said.

PTI

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