Gangtok: Two Indian Army personnel and a seasonal porter were killed and six others are missing when a massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall flattened their makeshift hut at Chaten in remote Lachen of north Sikkim.
Rescue operations were on to find any survivors from the rubble and mud, official sources said on Monday.
Indian Army sources said four others were rescued with minor injuries after the massive mudslides swept away the Army camps at Chaten around 7 PM on Sunday.
Lachen's altitude is about 9000 ft above sea level, and surrounded by the terrain and mountains.
The deceased were identified as Havildar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and porter Abhishek Lakhada. The Indian Army mourned the bravehearts.
The search operation in the rubble and debris was in progress to locate and rescue the six personnel who remained missing when the report came from about 110 km from Gangtok, under extremely challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions.
The Indian Army expressed deepest condolences to the families of the brave hearts who lost their lives in the natural calamity.
" Every effort is being made to provide necessary support to the bereaved families in this hour of grief," an Army release said.
A separate report said the first batch comprising 18 tourist vehicles from Lachung has successfully reached Phidang in Lower Dzongu, also in the north district.
District Collector Mangan, Anant Jain led the convoy to ensure that the tourists were safely transported back.
The evacuation of the tourists from Lachung began this morning with coordinated efforts from the local administration, police, Army, BRO, ITBP, Forest Department, Lachung Dzumsa, TAAS, SHRA, Drivers’ Associations, other tourism stakeholders, and the local public.
As per the latest update, a tourist convoy comprising 284 vehicles, 16 bikes with 1678 tourists (Male- 737, Female - 561, Child - 380) has crossed Theng Check Post towards Phidang.
Jain lauded the efforts of everyone involved in the evacuation. He informed that all the tourists from Lachung will be transported back safely today from the Lachung - Chungthang - Sipher - Phidang route and onwards to Gangtok.
He further informed that efforts to restore road connectivity to Lachen are ongoing. Once the road is ready, tourists stranded in Lachen will also be evacuated.