Overview

• A tourist vehicle carrying 11 people veered off the Lachen–Chungthang highway late on May 29 and plunged nearly 1,000 feet into the Teesta River in North Sikkim’s Mangan district, killing one passenger and leaving eight others missing.
• Among the missing is BJP Jajpur unit General Secretary Itishree Nayak Jena and several family members, while two critically injured teenagers were rescued and transferred to STNM Hospital in Gangtok.
• Indian Army, ITBP, Sikkim Police and NDRF teams led the multi-agency search and recovery operation that retrieved one body and two survivors before pausing on May 31 due to impassable mountain roads.
• Heavy monsoon downpours have triggered floods, landslides and flashfloods across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, resulting in at least 18 deaths and widespread displacement.
• Officials warn that the region’s rugged terrain and extreme weather expose gaps in road safety and disaster response infrastructure, prompting calls for enhanced preventive and relief measures.