44 stranded tourists evacuated from landslide-hit Chaten in north Sikkim

Gangtok: A total of 44 stranded tourists were evacuated from Chaten in north Sikkim on Friday, bringing to a close the rescue efforts of people stuck in the landslide-hit area for the day, officials said.

The rescue efforts resumed in the morning, with helicopters airlifting the stranded tourists from Chaten, they said.

"A total of 44 people have been evacuated from Chaten, north Sikkim, today through multiple sorties by helicopters," an official said.

Among those evacuated, 17 are local residents, he said.

“With the successful completion of this round, all stranded tourists have now been evacuated from Chaten. Following this, the evacuation operation has officially been called off for the day,” the official said.

The state government had earlier said that 64 people were awaiting evacuation in Chaten.

All evacuees have been safely brought to Greenfield Airport, Pakyong, from where they will be taken to Gangtok by bus, he said.

Arrangements will also be made to bring back local residents who may still be stranded in the area, the official said.

The administration continues to monitor the situation and remains committed to extending all necessary support to the disaster-hit region and its people, he said.

Altogether, 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday evacuated by helicopters from Chaten, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, the officials said.

The evacuation operation was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrain on Thursday.

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 underway to locate the missing soldiers.