Guwahati: Rescue operations in rain-ravaged North Sikkim resumed on Thursday after a crucial break in the weather, successfully bringing 59 stranded tourists back to Gangtok.
Severe weather and landslides trapped a group of 109 tourists in Lachung for nearly a week, and these individuals were among them.
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According to the official reports, two MI-17V5 helicopters departed from Pakyong airport near Gangtok early Thursday morning. One helicopter rescued 39 tourists, while the other brought back 20, including two foreign nationals.
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) is facilitating the rescued tourists by deploying buses to help them reach Siliguri in West Bengal.
An additional helicopter remains on standby at Pakyong airport for those wishing to travel to Bagdogra (near Siliguri) by air.
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Reports indicate that the helicopters also transported personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Power Department, and engineers from Airtel to Chaten. These teams will work on restoring essential services in the affected region.
On Wednesday, adverse weather in North Sikkim suspended helicopter sorties from Pakyong airport, which caused a setback to rescue efforts. These delayed ongoing evacuation operations.
According to officials, North Sikkim continues to battle the aftermath of severe weather.
Landslides struck a military camp at Chaten on Sunday, killing three Army personnel and leaving six soldiers missing, with several others sustaining injuries.
Officials asserted that persistent bad weather, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain are hampering search operations for the missing personnel.
Officials added that incessant rains washed away two key bridges over the Taran Chu river, located between Munshithang and Chaten, which critically impacted ongoing relief operations by completely severing motorable access to Chaten from Lachen.
Notably, earlier in the week, rescue teams successfully airlifted 1,678 tourists from Lachung and Chungthang, and 33 others, including two U.S. nationals, before Wednesday’s suspension of sorties.