Three army personnel have died and six others have gone missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rain struck the Indian Army military camp at Chaten in Lachen town in Sikkim on Sunday evening. Four people were rescued with minor injuries while the mortal remains of three valiant personnel – Havaldar Lakhbindar Singh, Lance Naik Manish Thakur and Porter Abhishek Lakra – were recovered, the army said.
Lt Gen Zubin Minawalla, GOC Trishakti Corps, visited the site to oversee rescue efforts. Rescue teams are relentlessly working around the clock under extremely challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions to locate and rescue the six personnel who remain missing.
The Indian Army expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the brave hearts who lost their lives in the incident. Every effort is being made to provide necessary support to the bereaved families in this hour of grief, the Army said. “The Indian Army remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure the safety and well-being of all its personnel, demonstrating its unyielding spirit and dedication to duty even in the face of nature’s fury,” the Army said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department of Sikkim announced on Monday that the Chungthang-Phidang road in Mangan District has been restored, allowing for the safe evacuation of stranded tourists to commence.
The evacuation operation is being carried out under the close supervision of the District Police and Administration, with active involvement from various agencies, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Indian Army, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), Fire and Medical Teams, Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS), Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco-tourism (IHCAE) Chemchey, Driver Association, along with the support of local volunteers and others.
Meanwhile, a search and rescue operation is still underway for nine tourists who went missing after a tragic vehicle accident in the Mangan District on May 29. On Sunday, Mangan district Superintendent of Police Dechu Bhutia said that over a thousand tourists were stranded in Lachen and Lachung in Mangan District due to the rains inducing landslides, bridge collapse and damage along with a high rise of the River Teesta.
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