Latest news with #MI-17V5
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
At least 63 evacuated from landslide-hit north Sikkim by helicopters, 64 others await rescue
Altogether 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday (June 5, 2025) evacuated by helicopters from Chaten in north Sikkim, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, officials said. Sixty-four other tourists are still waiting at Chaten to be rescued by the army and local administration. The operation to rescue them was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrains during the day, officials said. Chaten is located near Lachen, a small town in Mangan district, which is used by travellers to reach Gurudangmar Lake which is a popular tourist destination. Officials said that two MI-17 helicopters were used to evacuate 39 people from Chaten to Pakyong airport, officials said. Four other people were evacuated in a Cheetah helicopter while an MI-17 chopper made a direct journey from Bagdogra in neighbouring West Bengal to Chaten, airlifting 20 passengers, they said. Meanwhile, two MI-17 V5 helicopters are stationed at Pakyong airport for deployment in evacuation operation. State government officials have also been in continuous coordination with the armed forces to safeguard lives and provide relief to the stranded people. Three army personnel were killed, six soldiers went missing and several others were injured after a landslide hit a military camp at Chaten on the evening of June 1. Efforts are also on to find out the missing soldiers.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- New Indian Express
63 evacuated from landslide-hit north Sikkim by helicopters, 64 others await rescue
GANGTOK: Altogether 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday evacuated by helicopters from Chaten in north Sikkim, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, officials said. Sixty-four other tourists are still waiting at Chaten to be rescued by the army and local administration. The operation to rescue them was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrains during the day, officials said. Chaten is located near Lachen, a small town in Mangan district, which is used by travellers to reach Gurudangmar Lake which is a popular tourist destination. Officials said that two MI-17 helicopters were used to evacuate 39 people from Chaten to Pakyong airport, officials said. Four other people were evacuated in a Cheetah helicopter while an MI-17 chopper made a direct journey from Bagdogra in neighbouring West Bengal to Chaten, airlifting 20 passengers, they said. Meanwhile, two MI-17 V5 helicopters are stationed at Pakyong airport for deployment in evacuation operation. State government officials have also been in continuous coordination with the armed forces to safeguard lives and provide relief to the stranded people. Three army personnel were killed, six soldiers went missing and several others were injured after a landslide hit a military camp at Chaten on the evening of June 1. Efforts are also on to find out the missing soldiers.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business Standard
59 tourists airlifted from north Sikkim as rescue ops resume
Two MI-17V5 helicopters left for Chaten in north Sikkim from Pakyong airport near state capital Gangtok in the early morning after the weather cleared Press Trust of India Gangtok Fifty-nine tourists were brought back to Gangtok from the rain-ravaged north Sikkim on Thursday morning as the rescue operations resumed after the weather cleared, officials said. They were among the 109 tourists stranded in north Sikkim's Lachung for nearly a week. Two MI-17V5 helicopters left for Chaten in north Sikkim from Pakyong airport near state capital Gangtok in the early morning after the weather cleared. While 39 tourists returned on one copter, 20 returned on another, officials said. Among those rescued were two foreigners, they said. Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) has deployed buses to help these rescued tourists reach Siliguri in West Bengal. An additional helicopter has been kept on standby at Pakyong airport for those who want to travel to Bagdogra near Siliguri by air. The two helicopters flew to Chaten with personnel from the NDRF and Power Department, and engineers of Airtel, who would work in the region for restoring essential services, they said. These 109 tourists were brought to Chaten for air evacuation, they added. The tourists were accommodated in hotels and at the Chaten military camp, an officer said. Helicopter sorties from the Pakyong airport were suspended on Wednesday due to bad weather in north Sikkim, delaying evacuations. On Sunday, three Army personnel were killed and six soldiers went missing after landslides hit a military camp at Chaten. Several others were also injured. The search operations for the six missing personnel have been hampered by bad weather conditions, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain, an official said. The ongoing relief operations in north Sikkim faced a critical setback after two key bridges over the Taran Chu river, situated between Munshithang and Chaten, were washed away by incessant rains, severing motorable access to Chaten from Lachen. Three days ago, 1,678 tourists were rescued from Lachung and Chungthang, while 33 others, including two US nationals, were successfully airlifted before the sorties were suspended on Wednesday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
59 tourists airlifted from north Sikkim as rescue ops resume
Fifty-nine tourists were brought back to Gangtok from the rain-ravaged north Sikkim on Thursday (June 5, 2025) morning as the rescue operations resumed after the weather cleared, officials said. They were among the 109 tourists stranded in north Sikkim's Lachung for nearly a week. Two MI-17V5 helicopters left for Chaten in north Sikkim from Pakyong airport near State capital Gangtok in the early morning after the weather cleared. While 39 tourists returned on one copter, 20 returned on another, officials said. Among those rescued were two foreigners, they said. Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) has deployed buses to help these rescued tourists reach Siliguri in West Bengal. An additional helicopter has been kept on standby at Pakyong airport for those who want to travel to Bagdogra near Siliguri by air. The two helicopters flew to Chaten with personnel from the NDRF and Power Department, and engineers of Airtel, who would work in the region for restoring essential services, they said. These 109 tourists were brought to Chaten for air evacuation, they added. The tourists were accommodated in hotels and at the Chaten military camp, an officer said. Helicopter sorties from the Pakyong airport were suspended on Wednesday due to bad weather in north Sikkim, delaying evacuations. On Sunday, three Army personnel were killed and six soldiers went missing after landslides hit a military camp at Chaten. Several others were also injured. The search operations for the six missing personnel have been hampered by bad weather conditions, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain, an official said. The ongoing relief operations in north Sikkim faced a critical setback after two key bridges over the Taran Chu river, situated between Munshithang and Chaten, were washed away by incessant rains, severing motorable access to Chaten from Lachen. Three days ago, 1,678 tourists were rescued from Lachung and Chungthang, while 33 others, including two U.S. nationals, were successfully airlifted before the sorties were suspended on Wednesday.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
59 tourists airlifted from north Sikkim as rescue ops resume
Gangtok, Fifty-nine tourists were brought back to Gangtok from the rain-ravaged north Sikkim on Thursday morning as the rescue operations resumed after the weather cleared, officials said. They were among the 109 tourists stranded in north Sikkim's Lachung for nearly a week. Two MI-17V5 helicopters left for Chaten in north Sikkim from Pakyong airport near state capital Gangtok in the early morning after the weather cleared. While 39 tourists returned on one copter, 20 returned on another, officials said. Among those rescued were two foreigners, they said. Sikkim Nationalised Transport has deployed buses to help these rescued tourists reach Siliguri in West Bengal. An additional helicopter has been kept on standby at Pakyong airport for those who want to travel to Bagdogra near Siliguri by air. The two helicopters flew to Chaten with personnel from the NDRF and Power Department, and engineers of Airtel, who would work in the region for restoring essential services, they said. These 109 tourists were brought to Chaten for air evacuation, they added. The tourists were accommodated in hotels and at the Chaten military camp, an officer said. Helicopter sorties from the Pakyong airport were suspended on Wednesday due to bad weather in north Sikkim, delaying evacuations. On Sunday, three Army personnel were killed and six soldiers went missing after landslides hit a military camp at Chaten. Several others were also injured. The search operations for the six missing personnel have been hampered by bad weather conditions, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain, an official said. The ongoing relief operations in north Sikkim faced a critical setback after two key bridges over the Taran Chu river, situated between Munshithang and Chaten, were washed away by incessant rains, severing motorable access to Chaten from Lachen. Three days ago, 1,678 tourists were rescued from Lachung and Chungthang, while 33 others, including two US nationals, were successfully airlifted before the sorties were suspended on Wednesday.
