BHUBANESWAR/KENDRAPADA: Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha secretary Itishree Jena (42) and her elder son are among eight tourists missing after the vehicle in which they were travelling plummeted nearly 1,000 feet into the Teesta river in Sikkim on Thursday evening. One person died in the accident which took place between Chungthang and Munshithang.
Of the 11 people in the ill-fated vehicle, six were Itishree's family members and four were from Tripura. The driver was a local.
Besides Itishree and her son Sahil (20), her brother Ajit Nayak (45) and his wife Sunita (43) are also missing along with those from Tripura. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.
Itishree's younger son Sairaj (17) and Ajit's son Swayam Supratim (19) survived and are undergoing treatment in a Sikkim hospital, Mangan superintendent of police Sonam Detchu Bhutia said.
"One of her (Itishree) sons and nephew were rescued from the accident site," Jajpur MP Rabindra Narayan Behera said.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has spoken to his Sikkim counterpart Prem Singh Tamang regarding rescue operations and the safe return of tourists. A special team from Odisha has been sent to Sikkim to coordinate relief efforts.
SP Sonam Detchu said the tourists were travelling from Lachen to Lachung in Mangan district of North Sikkim when the vehicle skidded off the road and fell into the river.
He said the two boys survived as they both got stuck in a tree when the vehicle plunged into the river. "Later, they were rescued by a team. They are now in the ICU," Sonam Detchu.
The SP said they found a body floating in the river. "But we are yet to find the missing persons. Rescue work was hampered due to bad weather and heavy river current," the SP said.
Itishree's elder brother Sishir Nayak (56) was also travelling with two other sisters and his daughters in another vehicle. The family members left for Sikkim from Jajpur Road on May 25.
"Me, my elder sisters Manjulata Deo (60) and Jharana Mohapatra (56), and my two daughters, Sruti (18) and Sweta (16) were travelling in another vehicle," said Sishir.
Of the 11 people in the ill-fated vehicle, six were Itishree's family members and four were from Tripura. The driver was a local.
Besides Itishree and her son Sahil (20), her brother Ajit Nayak (45) and his wife Sunita (43) are also missing along with those from Tripura. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.
Itishree's younger son Sairaj (17) and Ajit's son Swayam Supratim (19) survived and are undergoing treatment in a Sikkim hospital, Mangan superintendent of police Sonam Detchu Bhutia said.
"One of her (Itishree) sons and nephew were rescued from the accident site," Jajpur MP Rabindra Narayan Behera said.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has spoken to his Sikkim counterpart Prem Singh Tamang regarding rescue operations and the safe return of tourists. A special team from Odisha has been sent to Sikkim to coordinate relief efforts.
SP Sonam Detchu said the tourists were travelling from Lachen to Lachung in Mangan district of North Sikkim when the vehicle skidded off the road and fell into the river.
He said the two boys survived as they both got stuck in a tree when the vehicle plunged into the river. "Later, they were rescued by a team. They are now in the ICU," Sonam Detchu.
The SP said they found a body floating in the river. "But we are yet to find the missing persons. Rescue work was hampered due to bad weather and heavy river current," the SP said.
Itishree's elder brother Sishir Nayak (56) was also travelling with two other sisters and his daughters in another vehicle. The family members left for Sikkim from Jajpur Road on May 25.
"Me, my elder sisters Manjulata Deo (60) and Jharana Mohapatra (56), and my two daughters, Sruti (18) and Sweta (16) were travelling in another vehicle," said Sishir.
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