- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 07 Jun 2026 08:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a tragic incident, four members of a family drowned after the car they were travelling in fell into the Testa River in Sikkim. After a massive search operation that lasted two days, a Tata Nexon vehicle and the bodies of four occupants were recovered from the depths of the Teesta River on Sunday morning.
The deceased were identified as 28-year-old Smarika Nyupane, 27-year-old Shaibya Nyupane, 27-year-old Tika Dahal, and five-year-old Ditya Chhetri, daughter of Tika Dahal.
Smarika and Shaibya were siblings. According to a Jagran.com report, their mother was receiving treatment in Siliguri for her deteriorating health. After her health improved, she was discharged from the hospital. On June 5, the four family members left Gangtok for Siliguri on Friday to bring their mother and father back home. But no one imagined that this journey would be their last.
The deceased's father is a retired teacher, while the mother was a former district panchayat member. According to family members, the news of their discharge from the hospital had brought joy to the entire family. But fate had other plans.
Reports suggest that on Friday, between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM, the last contact with them was made near the Rambi area on NH-10 before communication was abruptly lost.
On June 6, the family reported them missing, prompting a large-scale search operation. NDRF, SDRF, West Bengal Police, Traffic Police and Teesta River Rescue Team and local volunteers combed the area along the highway and river basin.
The vehicle was finally recovered with four bodies inside it on Sunday morning. Upon receiving news of the accident, the mother, who was set to be welcomed, suffered her life's biggest grief.
Tika Dahal's husband has also been a part of this family for years. According to locals, he has lived and studied in this house since childhood, and the family has adopted him as their own son. Therefore, this accident has become not just a tragedy of four people dying, but of an entire family being uprooted.
Villagers mourn
As news of this tragic incident spread, Lindok village was plunged into mourning. Villagers, relatives, and friends came forward in large numbers to offer assistance. Approximately 50 to 60 local residents volunteered to the scene and assisted in the search and rescue operation. Everyone hoped for a miracle, but when the four bodies were recovered Sunday morning, the last glimmer of hope was extinguished.
Among the deceased, Smarika Nyupane was a nursing lecturer at Sokyagang Nursing College under STNM Hospital. Shaibya Nyupane worked as a junior engineer in the Department of Culture, while Jika Dahal worked in the Horticulture Department. The untimely deaths of these three young government employees have shocked the entire administrative and social sector.
Safety concerns on NH-10
The accident has once again raised serious questions about the safety of National Highway 10. This lifeline, connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country, faces challenges like landslides, road collapses, and rising water levels of the Teesta River every year during the monsoon season.