3 killed as landslide hits army camp in North Sikkim; 9 missing

Meanwhile, 1,600 tourists stranded in Lachung since May 30 were rescued on Monday morning, officials said

Siliguri: At least three army personnel were killed and nine were missing after a landslide hit an army camp at Chatten in North Sikkim late on Sunday night.

The army camp at Chatten was hit by a landslide after the water level in the Lachen River increased.

Meanwhile, 1,600 tourists stranded in Lachung since May 30 were rescued on Monday morning, officials said.

“The army camp at Chatten was hit by a landslide after the water level in the Lachen River increased. Three bodies of army personnel have been recovered and nine army personnel are missing. Search operation by the army is going on,” said Arun Thatal, sub-divisional police officer of Chungthang in Mangan district.

Last Thursday, nine people including eight tourists went missing in North Sikkim after the vehicle, in which they were travelling, fell into the swollen Teesta River. All of them are suspected to be dead.

Chatten, which is around 3 km from Lachen, is amongst the most affected by the landslides and it houses many army camps.

A press statement issued by the Army on Monday said: “A landslide took place yesterday at Chatten, North Sikkim which damaged nearby habitat. Three bodies have been recovered which include some combatants. More are suspected to be missing. Process for identification of the deceased and search operation is in progress,”

As many areas in North Sikkim continue to remain cut off due to multiple landslides, reports of loss of lives are being regularly pouring in. Places like Lachen in North Sikkim have remained totally cut off from all sides while a few hundred stranded tourists at Lachung were evacuated from Monday morning.

“As many as 1,600 tourists, including 380 children, were rescued from Lachung on Monday. They had been stranded since May 30 after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides and the rivers swelled. The debris was cleared on Sunday night. Rescue operations started on Monday morning. Around 150 tourists are still stranded in Lachen. They are safe and lodged in hotels. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) is there too,” said Anant Jain, district collector of Mangan.

Both Lachen and Lachung are situated at an altitude of more than 2,700 metres. Tourists going to high-altitude destinations in North Sikkim such as Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley stop at Lachen and Lachung.