59 tourists airlifted from North Sikkim as rescue ops resume after weather clearance

A total of 59 tourists stranded in North Sikkim were airlifted from Chaten to Gangtok on Thursday morning as rescue operations resumed following an improvement in weather conditions. These tourists were among 109 who had been stranded in the Lachung-Chaten region for nearly a week due to landslides, flash floods, and damaged infrastructure caused by incessant rainfall.

Two MI-17V5 helicopters took off from Pakyong Greenfield Airport early in the day, carrying 39 and 20 tourists respectively. Four additional passengers were evacuated using a Cheetah helicopter. Among the rescued were two foreign nationals. The Sikkim government has arranged SNT buses to facilitate further travel of the rescued individuals to Siliguri, while an additional MI-17 remains on standby to airlift those preferring to fly to Bagdogra.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Sikkim Power Department, and Airtel were also airlifted to Chaten to help restore essential services. The personnel carried equipment to reinstate communication and electricity using satellite-based technology and portable power backups. Police communication teams have also been deployed to assist in re-establishing networks in isolated areas.

Operations had been suspended the previous day due to adverse weather. In recent days, 1,678 tourists were rescued from Lachung and Chungthang, while 33 others, including two US nationals, were evacuated before sorties were paused. Lachen remains cut off, though the Army has re-established foot connectivity and reached 113 stranded tourists.

On June 1, a landslide struck a military camp in Chaten, killing nine Army personnel and injuring several others. Six individuals are still missing, including Lt Col Pritpal Singh Sandhu, his wife Squadron Leader Aarti Sandhu (Retd), their daughter Amayra Sandhu, Subedar Dharamveer, Naik Sunilal Muchahary, and Sepoy Sainudheen PK. Continuous rainfall since May 30 has contributed to unstable terrain, further complicating search and relief efforts.