Bhubaneswar: Search efforts for eight tourists, who went missing after an SUV they were travelling fell into the Teesta river on May 29 night, were disrupted by heavy rain on Saturday.
Among those eight is Itishree Jena (46), an Odisha BJP leader and a resident of Jajpur. “Rescue operations have been hampered due to heavy rainfall. Our team has reached the spot. Two persons rescued are undergoing treatment. Four persons from Odisha are still missing,” Transport Minister Bibhuti Bushan Jena told the media.
The vehicle had plunged over 1,000 feet into the river in Mangan district near Munsithang, along the Lachen-Lachung highway. Those missing are the BJP leader, her elder son Sahil Jena (21), brother Ajit Kumar Nayak (45), and sister-in-law Sunita Nayak (42). Her younger son and nephew – Sairaj Jena and Swayam Supratim Nayak – were rescued with critical injuries and undergoing treatment at STNM Hospital in Gangtok.
Two more tourists from Tripura – Debjyoti Joy Dev, Swapnanil Deb – and as many from Uttar Pradesh – Kaushalendra Pratap Singh and Ankita Singh – are also missing.
“Itishree Jena from my constituency, and a member of State Mahila Morcha went to Sikkim with family. When they were going to zero point, their car fell into a trench… Itishree Jena, her elder son, brother and sister-in-law are missing… The rescue operation is in full swing, the NDRF and the locals are trying their best… The Odisha CM is communicating with his Sikkim counterpart. The water levels are increasing, which is raising issues…,” actor & BJP MLA Akash Dasnayak told ANI.
Her family has been praying for their safety by lightning diyas in temples.
Meanwhile, Teesta’s rising waters have damaged critical infrastructure in North Sikkim, stranding 112 tourists in Lachen and 1,350 in Lachung, according to the Mangan district administration.
Officials added that a cloudburst in the area contributed to the rise in Teesta’s water level.