About 175 tourists stuck in higher altitudes of Sikkim due to heavy snowfall were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BR0), a defence spokesperson said on Saturday.

A huge number of tourists were visiting the high-altitude destinations such as Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang, and Tsomgo Lake, Nathula and Baba Mandir, Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.

"From March 15 to 17, entire Sikkim received unprecedented rains, snow and hail storms. The tourists who were visiting these areas got stuck as the roads were covered with snow and sleet, making the movement of cars and taxis very risky," he said.

They did not have warm clothes required for the weather, a place to stay or food as they were supposed to return to state capital Gangtok by the night, Lt Col Rawat said.

Personnel of the BRO's Project Swastik, which maintains all these roads, rescued about 175 tourists from the areas where they were stuck, and provided them with food and shelter before helping them return to Gangtok, he said.

Besides, medical attention was also provided to the tourists, a large number of whom were women and children, he added.

The BRO personnel worked simultaneously to clear the roads amid the snowfall and rain, the spokesperson said.

The roads were cleared, and the 175 tourists reached Gangtok on buses arranged by the BRO on Saturday morning, he said.

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