A newly married couple from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district is among eight tourists reported missing after their vehicle fell nearly 1,000 feet into the Teesta River in North Sikkim’s Mangan district on May 29.

The couple, Kaushalendra Pratap Singh and Ankita Singh, had travelled to Sikkim for their honeymoon on May 24. The accident occurred near Munsithang along the Lachen-Lachung highway, a route prone to landslides and difficult terrain.

The vehicle was carrying 11 individuals when it veered off the road and plunged into the river. The driver, Passang Denu Sherpa of Singhik, died on the spot. Two tourists from Odisha Swayam Supratim Nayak and Salraj Jena were rescued on the same night, while eight others, including the UP couple, remain missing.

Sher Bahadur Singh, father of Kaushalendra, has travelled to Sikkim and appealed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to coordinate with the Sikkim administration to step up search operations. “I will not return until my son and daughter-in-law are found,” he said in a video appeal.

The search operation is being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, Forest and Tourism Departments, Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS), and the police. However, poor weather conditions have slowed the efforts.

The other missing tourists include four from Odisha Ajit Kumar Nayak, Sunita Nayak, Sahil Jena, and Itshiri Jena and two from Tripura Debjyoti Joy Dev and Swapnanil Deb.