1,678 tourists evacuated, over 100 still stranded
Gangtok: Three Army personnel died and six soldiers went missing after a landslide hit a military camp at Chhaten in Sikkim, a defence official said on Monday.
The landslide, which occurred at 7 pm on Sunday near Lachen town in Mangan district, was triggered by heavy rainfall in the area, he said.
“… A catastrophic landslide occurred following intense and continuous rainfall in the region causing death of three combatants, identified as Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and Porter Abhishek Lakhada,” the official said in a statement.
Bodies of the personnel have been recovered, while four other soldiers were rescued with minor injuries, the official said in a statement.
“Rescue teams are working round-the-clock under challenging conditions to locate the six missing personnel,” he said.
The Army has expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased and assured all necessary support, the defence official added.
Meanwhile, altogether 1,678 tourists, stuck in north Sikkim’s Lachung and Chungthang towns following rain-triggered landslides there, were evacuated on Monday, and more than 100 others are still stranded in Lachen, DGP Akshay Sachdeva said.
The evacuation of stranded tourists began after the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) restored road connectivity to Lachung in Mangan district.
Sachdeva said that 1,678 tourists stranded in Lachung and Chungthang towns for several days left for Gangtok via Phidang near Dzongu town by 284 vehicles and 16 motorcycles.
The director general of police, who personally received the tourists at Phidang, said Mangan District Collector Anant Jain and superintendent of police Sonam Detchu Bhutia led the convoy to ensure a safe departure of the visitors, he said.
“The convoy of vehicles, carrying tourists, comprising 737 men, 561 women and 380 children, crossed via Theng Check Post and arrived in Phdang before heading for the state capital,” an official said.
The Sikkim DGP said that efforts are underway to evacuate more than 100 tourists stranded in Lachen.
Sachdeva said he enquired about the well-being of the tourists who were on their way to Gangtok. Many of them thanked the district administration for its support in north Sikkim.
The tourists expressed gratitude to the Sikkim government and all the agencies involved in the evacuation process, the official said.
Incessant rainfall since May 29 triggered landslides in several parts of Mangan district, causing partial damage to bridges in Phidang and Sangkalang and disrupting road connectivity for several days.
