An accident near Mangan of north Sikkim left 10 students from Jharkhand injured on Saturday night.
Sources said that the students were visiting north Sikkim for the past couple of days.
According to a source in the district administration, the students were travelling to Gangtok from Lachung in north Sikkim in an SUV.
“The driver of the vehicle lost control at Paksep Forest Dara around 9.30pm. The vehicle fell around 100 feet off the road,” said a source.
The accident site is located around 70km from Gangtok.
The group comprised six male and four female students. All the students suffered
injuries.
“While three were taken to Gangotk, the rest were treated at the Mangan district hospital. All the victims are stable,” said a source.
Police have started an investigation to find out the cause of the accident.
Tourism stakeholders have appealed to tourists to avoid travelling at night because of the poor roads and current rough weather in the hills.
“Considering the current rugged road condition of North Sikkim and rough weather, we have appealed to all the tourists to avoid travelling at night,” Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, one of the largest associations of the stakeholders of the tourism industry in the region, said.
“We appeal to the administration for more safety initiatives in view of the upcoming summer tourist season, when more tourists will flock to the hills,” Sanyal added.