Three soldiers killed, 6 missing as landslide hits Army camp in Sikkim

“At 7 pm (on June 1), a catastrophic landslide… struck the military camp at Chhaten. Rescue operations were launched immediately. The rescue teams are working round the clock despite the challenging weather and terrain, to locate the six missing personnel,” said Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO Defence) Himanshu Tiwari in a statement.

The Army has extended condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them full support.

Meanwhile, more than 1,600 tourists stranded in North Sikkim following landslides and flash floods caused by heavy rain on May 29 were evacuated on Monday, Mangan District Magistrate Anant Jain.

Nine tourists, however, still remain missing, the officials said.

“We began the evacuation at 8 am from Lachung with the help of 300 vehicles, including 16 bikes. The group included 750 men, 560 women, and 380 children,” DM Jain said.

Nine people, including eight tourists and a driver, went missing during a flash flood. “The incident happened on May 29 night. Two tourists from Odisha were rescued and hospitalised. Teams of police, ITBP, and Army reached the spot around 11 pm, but nine remain missing,” he said.

Nearly 10 landslides had blocked roads between Lachung and Fedang, which had been cleared by Sunday evening, he said, adding that Lachen still remains cut off from Zema and Rabang.

Nearly 150 tourists are safe in hotels there, he said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Akshay Sachdeva accompanied by IGP (Law and Order) Tashi Wangyal, DIG Gangtok Range Pratap Pradhan received the evacuated tourists at Phidang.

Mangan Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia said heavy rain in Lachen and Lachung caused a surge in the Teesta river.

The family members of a newly married couple, Pratap Singh (32) and Ankita Singh (26) from Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, who went missing since the incident, have appealed to the state government to intensify the search operations.

Their vehicle fell into the Teesta near Munsithang on May 29.

The vehicle had 10 tourists from Odisha, Tripura, and UP. One died in the incident, two critically injured were rescued, while eight, including the couple and the driver, remain missing.

“My son got married on May 5. He along with his wife came to Sikkim on May 25 and have been missing since. We arrived here on May 30 to search for them. My life has been shattered,” said Pratap Singh’s father.

A police official said the rescue efforts are getting hampered by continued rain, high river currents and rising water levels.