Latest news with #SikkimNationalisedTransport
United News of India
2 days ago
- United News of India
Braving harsh weather, forces airlift 17 tourists from north Sikkim
Gangtok, June 6 (UNI) Braving the prevailing adverse weather conditions, the Indian armed forces on Friday safely airlifted 17 stranded tourists from north Sikkim's last village Chaten, to the Pakyong greenfield airport, some 30 km east of Gangtok, official sources said. The MI-02 helicopter successfully carried out the first evacuation of the day, airlifting 17 tourists, both men and children, who were stuck at Chaten since May 29 when massive landslides followed by cloudbursts and torrents cut off the last village, about 130 km north of Pakyong. "The same helicopter has been deployed again to evacuate the remaining stranded persons," a government communique said. "Evacuation operations will continue depending on weather conditions and logistical arrangements," the communique added. On Thursday, two helicopters were pressed into service, while one successfully brought the stranded travellers, the other had to return to Chaten with the tourists on board. To ensure smooth onwards travel to Gangtok, the SNT (Sikkim Nationalised Transport) buses have been stationed at the airport for the evacuees' convenience. A medical team from the health and family welfare department, Pakyong, was at hand at the airport to carry out preliminary health screenings for the arriving evacuees. With the 17 evacuations of the day, the armed forces have airlifted 80 stranded tourists, two of them American citizens, since the aerial rescue operation began on June 3 after foot bridges were washed away, creating piles of rubble and huge boulders. The government officials said around 50 more travellers were stranded and awaiting airlifting. The travellers are from almost all the states of the country, according to the list of stranded tourists. UNI PC ARN PRS
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 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
3 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
3 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.
