Singalila Range claims three lives: one at Sandakphu two at Chewa Bhanjyang

Photo courtesy: Bir Yakthungba FB

EOI, DARJEELING, MAY 28, 2024 : Twenty-nine-year-old Tanmoy Kundu, a resident of of Kaliyaganj in the North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, was declared dead in a hospital on Monday after being brought back from Sandakphu.

There are reports that the bodies of two residents of Yuksom in Sikkim were found on Monday at Chewa Bhanjyang. Both Sandakphu and Chewa Bhanjyang are in the Singalila Range. Kundu along with six others went to Sandakphu, standing at an altitude of 3636 metres, a popular tourist spot 61 km from Darjeeling on May 24, it is believed that the two from Sikkim had started their trekking from somewhere at Gochela, also in Sikkim.

T. Basak, one of the friends that had gone with Kundu, said that on their way to Sandakphu they had made a night halt at Tumling and reached Sandakphu the next day. He said they were to return on May 27.

“On the day we were to return, Kundu complained of stomach aches but we did not take it much seriously as he was saying the pain was minor. But after awhile he started to complain of breathing problems which is when we started to get worried. 

A tourist in the next room was a doctor who took a look at him and advised us to admit him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible,” said Basak.

“With no medical facilities at Sandakphu or anywhere near, we hurriedly brought Kundu to the Sukhiapokhri hospital where he was declared dead,” he added.

The hospital at Sukhiapokhri is about 39 km from Sandakphu which Basak claimed took them about two and half hours to reach.
The body was brought to Darjeeling late on Monday night with his autopsy done on Tuesday. The results for the cause of death have not yet been announced.
His family members also arrived in Darjeeling late on Tuesday evening and took the body back home in an ambulance.

Gorkhaland Territorial Administrator Adventure Tourism Department Chief Coordinator Dawa Sherpa said:“ The cause of death could be due to Kundu suffering from high-altitude pulmonary oedema. 

The problem nowadays is that tourists from other cities go straight to Sandakphu without acclimatizing. It is learnt that Kundu was complaining of headaches and chest pain from the first day. These are the symptoms of altitude sickness.

”Sherpa said that such sickness was seen among people when they were above 9000 feet whereas Sandakhpu stood at a height of 12,000 feet. “In such cases the only solution is making the person descend to a lower altitude as soon as such symptoms are shown,” said Sherpa.

He also claimed that in Sandakphu there were some trained staff in medical emergencies with oxygen who had managed to save a lady from Bangladesh last week when she complained of similar symptoms.

Speaking about the two bodies also found, Sherpa said: “Two bodies were found by the SSB at Chewa Bhanjyang yesterday in a separate incident. Like Sandakphu, that area also falls in the Singalila Range. 

This range starts from Sandakhpu and ends at Chaurikhang in Sikkim which connects to the famous trekking route Gochela. The two could have probably trekked from somewhere there till where the body was found. 

The cause of their death is yet not known.”Speaking about preparations at Sandakphu for such emergencies, the GTA tourism department's chief coordinator said that they had opened an information centre at Manebhanjyang to make tourists aware of many things they should take care of while visiting the area. 

He said that tourists however did not make it a point to visit it and straightaway headed to Sandakhpu.

“We are also planning to have a meeting with our higher ups to decide on tourists wanting to go to Sandakhpu being asked to submit a medical certificate. We want to see if they are fit to go there or not, so such things do not happen,” he said 

According to the news published by Sikkim News 24, the bodies of the individuals found deceased in Singalila National Park have been identified and transported down the hills for post-mortem examination in Gangtok. The deceased have been confirmed as Puran Gurung, a tourist guide and resident of Yuksam in the Geyzing district, and Sabita Subba, a resident of Tikjek, Geyzing.
According to information from locals, they trekked the Gochala route, stayed at a homestay in the north, and then visited Singalila National Park on May 19. It is suspected that they were struck by lightning, a hazard common in the region.