Army airlifts essentials to landslides-hit Chaten

Braving harsh weather conditions, the Indian armed forces after airlifting all stranded tourists and civilians from Chaten, the last human habitation in north Sikkim, on Saturday successfully dispatched essentials, resorting to multiple sorties by helicopters, and brought back 76 personnel to the Pakyong Greenfield Airport, official sources said.

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Marking an important step in the ongoing relief efforts, the first sortie of the day, two MI-17, departed from Pakyong, transporting essential supplies to Chaten, some 130 km at 9000 ft. The area has remained cut off from the rest of the world for the last 10 days.

The area has been ravaged by cloudbursts, landslides, which also swept away an Army camp killing three persons and six others, including a Lt Colonel.