76 army personnel airlifted from landslide-hit Chaten in north Sikkim
GANGTOK: At least 76 army personnel were on Saturday airlifted from Chaten in north Sikkim where road connectivity has been snapped due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rain, officials said.
This marks the "completion of coordinated evacuation efforts", which included the rescue of all stranded tourists earlier, they said.
"Altogether 76 army personnel were airlifted by three MI-17 helicopters. The air evacuation operation from Chaten has concluded today with the helicopters transporting army personnel from Chaten to Pakyong Greenfield Airport," an official said.
The state government continues to closely monitor the overall situation and remains committed to providing all necessary support in the disaster-hit region and assistance to those affected by natural calamities, another official said.
Heavy rain had triggered multiple landslides in north Sikkim recently, disrupting road connectivity in the region. As a result, more than 1,600 tourists had been stranded in Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang towns for days before they were rescued by the state government.
The Indian army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and the Mangan district administration had carried out rescue and search operations for days and evacuated all stranded tourists and local people, the officials said.
Several helicopters were pressed into service to evacuate more than 140 tourists by air, they said.
Three army personnel were killed, four injured and six others went missing after a landslide hit a military camp at Chaten on the evening of June 1.
Efforts are underway to locate the missing soldiers.
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The helicopter sortie began this morning from the Pakyong Greenfield Airport, with the first sortie taking off towards Chaten to initiate the evacuation process ANI The Sikkim government has arranged a special helicopter sortie for their immediate air evacuation in response to requests made by stranded locals, tourist taxi drivers, and certain government officials stationed at the Chaten area. The operation comes as part of the ongoing coordinated relief and evacuation efforts being undertaken in view of recent adverse conditions that have disrupted normal road connectivity and access to the region. The helicopter sortie began this morning from the Pakyong Greenfield Airport, with the first sortie taking off towards Chaten to initiate the evacuation process. The State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens in affected regions. Rescue and relief operations were being conducted in North Sikkim, following recent floods in the region. Meanwhile, the Sikkim government is still closely monitoring the overall situation in the region and is providing all necessary support and assistance to those affected. Earlier on Friday, in a major relief operation, all stranded tourists were successfully evacuated from Chaten, one of the worst-hit areas in North Sikkim, following recent landslides and flash floods. Mangan District Collector Anant Jain confirmed the evacuation. DC Anant Jain praised the joint efforts of the district administration, military, paramilitary forces, and local communities for their swift and coordinated response. "Our priority was to ensure the safety of every stranded individual. We thank the Indian Air Force and all ground teams for their relentless service," Jain said. The final phase of the operation involved Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters airlifting the remaining 63 tourists from Chaten on Thursday, with follow-up sorties resuming on Friday morning as weather conditions improved. The operation was carried out in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local administration. Earlier in the week, more than 1,600 tourists were rescued by road from Lachung and Lachen valleys in a massive ground operation led by DC Jain. The tourists, including several elderly individuals and children, were safely escorted through challenging terrain and intermittent weather disturbances. Several days of heavy rainfall have triggered landslides, mudslides, flash floods, and rockfalls in many parts of the state.
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Gangtok: The Sikkim government has arranged a special helicopter sortie for their immediate air evacuation in response to requests made by stranded locals, tourist taxi drivers, and certain government officials stationed at the Chaten area. The operation comes as part of the ongoing coordinated relief and evacuation efforts being undertaken in view of recent adverse conditions that have disrupted normal road connectivity and access to the region. The helicopter sortie began this morning from the Pakyong Greenfield Airport, with the first sortie taking off towards Chaten to initiate the evacuation process. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dad-Approved Ways to Celebrate Father's Day in Costa Mesa - Travel Costa Mesa Travel Costa Mesa Read More Undo The State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens in affected regions. Rescue and relief operations were being conducted in North Sikkim, following recent floods in the region. Live Events Meanwhile, the Sikkim government is still closely monitoring the overall situation in the region and is providing all necessary support and assistance to those affected. Earlier on Friday, in a major relief operation, all stranded tourists were successfully evacuated from Chaten, one of the worst-hit areas in North Sikkim, following recent landslides and flash floods. Mangan District Collector Anant Jain confirmed the evacuation. DC Anant Jain praised the joint efforts of the district administration, military, paramilitary forces, and local communities for their swift and coordinated response. "Our priority was to ensure the safety of every stranded individual. We thank the Indian Air Force and all ground teams for their relentless service," Jain said. The final phase of the operation involved Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters airlifting the remaining 63 tourists from Chaten on Thursday, with follow-up sorties resuming on Friday morning as weather conditions improved. The operation was carried out in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local administration. Earlier in the week, more than 1,600 tourists were rescued by road from Lachung and Lachen valleys in a massive ground operation led by DC Jain. The tourists, including several elderly individuals and children, were safely escorted through challenging terrain and intermittent weather disturbances. Several days of heavy rainfall have triggered landslides, mudslides, flash floods, and rockfalls in many parts of the state.
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