A tourist from Calcutta died on the way to Sandakphu on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Imran Ali, a 39-year-old resident of Park Street,
Calcutta.

His body was handed over to his friends after a post-mortem at the Darjeeling district hospital.

The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) arranged transportation for the deceased’s companions to take the body to Calcutta in an
ambulance.

Sandakphu is located
at an elevation of around 11,930 feet, about 60 km from Darjeeling.

According to a source in the GTA, Ali, along with his friend Rohit Sekhar, reached Manebhanyang via Siliguri on March 25. After staying overnight, they planned to trek to
Sandakphu.

However, they changed their plan due to heavy
snowfall in Sandakphu and instead travelled to Tonglu by vehicle.

“They stayed at Tonglu (located at an elevation of 10,130 feet) on March 27, as residents advised them that the weather was not conducive for travelling. But on Saturday, he was found
in an unconscious state,” said Rajesh Chouhan, deputy chairman of the GTA.

“His friend immediately informed locals and, with the help of the Singalila Land Rovers Drivers’ Association, Ali was taken to the Sukhiapokhri block hospital,
where he was declared brought dead,” the deputy chairman said.

“After the post mortem we arranged an ambulance to shift the body to Siliguri and from there another
ambulance took the body to Calcutta,” Chouhan added.