Tragedy in Sikkim: Two Tripura Youths Among Eight Missing After Car Plunges 1,000 Feet into Teesta Gorge

A devastating accident in North Sikkim has left eight tourists missing including two young men from Kailashahar in Tripura. The victims Swapnil Deb (26) and Debajyoti Joy Deb (26) were on a tour of Sikkim when their vehicle skidded off a dangerous mountain road and plunged nearly 1,000 feet into the Teesta gorge on Thursday night.

The ill-fated vehicle carrying 10 tourists and the driver lost control while navigating a treacherous bend near Munsithang between Lachen and Lachung. According to the local administration, heavy rainfall had made the road dangerously slippery. The driver, Pashang Sherpa, a resident of Sindhi Mangan in Sikkim died on the spot. His body was recovered on Friday afternoon.

Chungthang Sub-Divisional Magistrate Arun Chhetri confirmed that rescue operations were launched immediately with support from the Indian Army, Sikkim Police, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). “Despite adverse weather and rising water levels in the Teesta, our teams are working tirelessly. Divers have been deployed, and rope operations have helped recover the vehicle from the gorge,” Chhetri said.

Two critically injured teenagers — Sairaj Jena (17) and Swayam Supratim Naik (17) — were rescued and are being treated at a hospital in Gangtok. They are relatives of Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha Secretary Itashree Naik Jena, who remains missing along with her family members Ajit Kumar Naik (45), Sunita Naik (42), and Sahil Jena (21). Additionally, a couple from Uttar Pradesh — Ankita Singh (26) and Kaushalendra Pratap Singh (32) — are among the missing.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has spoken to Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who assured that “every possible effort is being made to locate and rescue the missing tourists.” A special team from Odisha has been dispatched to Sikkim to assist in the search.

In Tripura, opposition leader and CPM Politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury visited the home of missing youth Debajyoti Joy Deb in Kailashahar. Expressing concern, he stated, “Two of our young men from Kailashahar have gone missing in this tragic incident. Rescue workers are battling tough weather conditions, but we hope for their safe return.”

Search and rescue efforts continue, as hope lingers for the safe recovery of the remaining eight missing individuals.