KATHMANDU, April 5: Seven people, including three Nepali nationals, died in an avalanche on the Gangtok-Nathula road section of Sikkim. About a dozen others were injured.

Officials of Gangtok said that among the deceased Nepalis were Shiva Prasad Lamichhane and Ashika Dhakal from Chitwan and Muna Shah Shrestha from Rupandehi. Other deceased are from Uttar Pradesh and parts of West Bengal including in Kolkata in India.

In the list of dead and injured released by the collector of Gangtok district, it is mentioned that three Nepali people died and three others were injured. 40-year-old Gita Sapkota, 38-year-old Jyoti Gurung and 43-year-old Ramesh Khanal are among the injured Nepalis. Their address is written only as 'Nepal' and it is mentioned that they have been admitted to hospital.

According to the local time, an avalanche fell on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok-Nathulapas around 12:30 noon on Tuesday. Indian news media states that it is suspected that 20-30 tourists along with five to six vehicles were buried in the avalanche.

Similarly, 14 people were rescued and taken to a nearby army camp. Seven of them died and seven others were given first aid and returned to Gangtok, the Indian Army said in a statement.

Nathula bordering China is one of the important Himalayan passes of India. This area, which is also a tourist destination, is about 55 km away from Gangtok.

 
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