Gangtok, May 31 (UNI) The Sikkim government on Saturday imposed a ban on tourist vehicles from plying to entire north Sikkim owing to blockage of roads following a series of landslides triggered by heavy rains, which has also caused swelling of the Teesta and impacted the rescue operation to trace the missing people after their vehicle rolled down into the river on Thursday night.

"I am directed to inform all tour operators that permits for north Sikkim will not be issued on Saturday due to incessant rains on Friday night, which has blocked a road leading to Chungthang," read a government notice on Saturday.

"Advance permits issued for north Sikkim for May 31 may be treated as cancelled, " the notice said.

The main artery leading to south Sikkim was also blocked at 7th Mile between Legship and Kewzing in Namchi due to an accident, in which a pickup oil tanker lost control and overturned, obstructing the passage. There were no injuries, the report said.

Another communication warned that the dangerous water flow in North Sikkim’s Phodong village after heavy rains on Friday last night has led to a rise in the water level of the Teesta river belt.

All tourist permits remain canceled due to a landslide on the Chungthang side in the north district.

The district magistrate of north district informed the people not to panic following swelling or Teesta and stay alert.

" The authorities will continue to provide timely updates as the situation evolves," the district magistrate said.

"It's a red warning ('take action') for the Mangan district. It will impact the stretch under Gangtok district from Dikchu to Singtam. A flood-like situation could emerge in the northern region, which is surrounded by icy hills along the China border," said the DM.

The swelling of the Teesa hugely affected the search and rescue operation of a vehicle, which plunged into Teesta with 11 people on board on Thursday night near Chungthang.

The rescuers retrieved a body and evacuated two wounded. The remaining 8 persons were still untraced.

A woman BJP leader from Odisha, identified as Itishree Nayak and her elder son Sohail are yet to be traced, an unconfirmed report said.

Tourists from Odisha and West Bengal jointly hired a Sikkim-registered car and headed to Lachung. Their four-wheeler skidded off the road and rolled down some 1,000 feet into the Teesta.

UNI PC PRS