A total of 158 drivers of tourist and private vehicles stranded in Lachen were rescued after a road breach, officials said on Monday. Their vehicles were also moved out.

A total of 1,321 tourists trapped in those vehicles were evacuated on April 9 using a temporary footbridge set up after the road gave way at Taram Chu along the Chungthung–Lachen axis on April 5.

On Sunday, 114 drivers along with their vehicles were taken out through Dongkya La Pass. The convoy moved via Zero Point, Yumthang Valley, Lachung, and then to Mangan and Gangtok.

On Monday, 44 more vehicles, including 24 tourist cars and 17 private cars, were brought out through the same route, a police statement said.

Army personnel, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), district administration teams, drivers’ associations and tourism groups took part in the operation.