Tourist from Kolkata dies near Sandakphu

DARJEELING,: A 40-year-old tourist from Kolkata died at Tumling, Sandakphu in the Darjeeling hills, officials said on Saturday.

The deceased, identified as Imran Ali, had travelled with a friend to visit Sandakphu but halted at Tumling, located at an altitude of around 9,600 feet, due to inclement weather.

Ali was found unconscious on Friday morning and was taken to a primary health centre at Sukhiapokhri, where he was declared brought dead, said Rajesh Chauhan, health in charge of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) at Darjeeling District Hospital.

“The GTA, with the help of Singalila Drivers Association, brought the body to Darjeeling for post-mortem. The body has been handed over to the family. It will be sent by ambulance to Siliguri and then another one will take him to Kolkata,” Chauhan said.

According to officials, the duo had reached Siliguri from Kolkata on March 25 and proceeded to Maneybhanjyang, where they stayed overnight before heading towards Sandakphu the next day.

However, due to adverse weather conditions, they decided to stay at Tumling.

“We had planned to visit Sandakphu, but due to bad weather we stayed back at Tumling. Everything was fine, but the next morning when I tried to wake him up, he did not respond,” said Rohit Shekar, the friend accompanying Ali.

He added that they had initially planned to trek but opted to travel by vehicle due to the weather.

There have been several incidents in recent times of tourists facing health issues, particularly breathing problems, in the Sandakphu area due to high altitude and extreme cold.

The region has been experiencing snowfall in recent days, leading to a drop in temperature, they added.