Sikkim, June 03: Around 1,500 tourists are stranded in various parts of North Sikkim as incessant rains have blocked major roads due to landslides, officials said.

On the other hand, heavy rains hampered the search for eight missing tourists. It was finally called off after the water level in the Teesta river rose. One died, two were injured and eight others went missing when a vehicle carrying 11 tourists fell into a river more than a thousand feet deep near Teestang in Mangan district on Thursday night.

The vehicle fell into a river more than 1,000 feet deep near Munsithang along the Lachen-Lachung highway. 115 tourists are stranded in Lachen and 1,350 in Lachung, said Mangan SP Sonam Dechu Bhutia.

As exits from both directions were blocked due to landslides at several places, tourists have been advised to stay in their hotels. They said they would be evacuated onceThe district, especially in Chungthang subdivision, was lashed by incessant rains throughout the day, and power supply, which was disrupted on Friday afternoon, was restored this evening, officials said, adding that efforts were on to restore drinking water supply today.

Mobile connectivity was restored around 3 pm, after about 24 hours, they said. Due to heavy rains in the area due to cloudburst, the water level in the Teesta river has risen, they said.

Mangan Deputy Commissioner Anant Jain said he was at the spot where the tourist vehicle fell into the Teesta and was supervising the rescue efforts.

The incessant rains and the overflowing Teesta river have hampered the search for the eight missing persons. The SP said the search will resume as soon as the weather conditions improve. The search team has recovered four identity cards and six mobile phones from the river bank near the accident site, he said.

Of the 11 people in the vehicle, two have been identified as Swayam Supratim Nayak and Sairaj Jena, both from Odisha. They were rescued on the night of the accident and are undergoing treatment at STNM Hospital in Gangtok. The search is on for the remaining eight people, including the driver of the vehicle, and one has been found dead, the SP said.