A total of 44 more stranded tourists were evacuated from Chaten in north Sikkim on Friday, bringing to a close the rescue efforts of people stuck in the landslide-hit area for the day, officials said.

The rescue efforts resumed Friday morning, with helicopters airlifting the stranded tourists. “A total of 44 people have been evacuated from Chaten, north Sikkim, today through multiple sorties by helicopters,” an official said. Among those evacuated, 17 are local residents, the official said.

“With the successful completion of this round, all stranded tourists have now been evacuated from Chaten. Following this, the evacuation operation has officially been called off for the day,” the official added.