Heavy rain has triggered multiple landslides in Sikkim and snapped several roads in Mangan district, where around 2,000 tourists are stranded.

Rivers and streams swelled because of the heavy rain since Thursday.

Sources in the Mangan district administration said a number of roads, including some stretches of NH10 that connects northern parts of Sikkim, were blocked following the landslides.

Landslides also occurred along the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg that connects popular destinations like Tsomgo (Chhangu) Lake, Nathu-la and Baba Mandir with Gangtok.

“The administration has stopped issuing permits for tourists to visit these places,” said a source.

In Mangan, tourists who had reached places like Lachen and Lachung were stuck because of the landslides.

“We are in touch with the administration and local transporters for updates,”said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which functions under the defence ministry and maintains roads leading to the China border, started clearing debris and restoring traffic.

Officials in the regional Met office in Gangtok said there was a forecast of heavy rainfall in Sikkim and in the adjoining sub-Himalayan Bengal in the next 24 hours. Lachung recorded a rainfall of 130mm in the past 24 hours.