Sikkim Landslide: 3 soldiers dead and 6 missing as landslide hits an army camp in Chaten

New Delhi (India) June 3: Three soldiers were killed, four were injured and six were reported missing at an Indian Army camp in Chaten, Mangan district, Sikkim after a landslide hit the army camp.

According to a Defence Ministry statement, four people were rescued after a landslide struck the Chaten camp around 7 p.m. The bodies of Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and porter Abhishek Lakhada were discovered during the night.

A Lieutenant Colonel, his wife, and their daughter are among the six people missing when the disaster hit around 7:00 p.m. near the Brigade Headquarters in Chaten in North Sikkim.

The six people who are still missing include Lt. Col. Pritpal Sandhu (GSO-I), his wife Squadron Leader Arati B Sandhu (retired), and their daughter Amaira, Subedar Dharamveer, Sainudheen P.K. and Sunilal Muchahary.

The army 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.”

“Rescue teams are relentlessly working round the clock under extremely challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions to locate and rescue the six personnel who remain missing” in a statement.

Arun Thatal, sub-divisional police officer of Chungthang 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” in a statement.

The landslide, which was caused by heavy rainfall, happened at 7 p.m. Rescue activities have been ongoing in spite of the harsh weather and terrain.

Heavy rain caused flash floods and landslides in North Sikkim, leaving more than 1,600 tourists trapped. Rescue activities are still underway in the state.

Akshay Sachdeva, the State's Director General of Police, stated that 1,678 tourists were evacuated from northern Sikkim's Lachung and Chungthang on a sunny Monday after being stranded for two days. Some 115 tourists are still stuck in Lachen.

Floods and landslides have killed 11 people in Assam, nine in Arunachal Pradesh, six in Meghalaya and Mizoram, three in Sikkim, two in Tripura, and one in Nagaland.

Nine tourists from Odisha and West Bengal are still missing after their van fell over 1,000 feet into a flooded Teesta River on May 29. Itishree Jena, leader of the Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha, is among those who have gone missing.

The floods in Manipur have affected nearly 20,000 people. The Imphal Valley was flooded by continuous rainfall, overflowing rivers, and embankment breaches.

On Monday, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma examined the flood situation in Lakhimpur district, which was apparently worsened by the flow of water from a hydroelectric project operated by a Central public sector entity. 

Aadrika Tayal