According to an IAF official, the Indian Air Force evacuated 176 survivors from the flood-affected state on Tuesday, including 16 foreign nationals. According to an official, the IAF also air-landed 9400 kg of relief supplies in the state. According to IAF officials, as part of relief efforts in flood-affected Sikkim, the Indian Air Force has deployed its Mi-17 V5, CH-47 Chinooks, and Cheetah helicopters to evacuate people stranded in remote areas and drop essential supplies to areas that have been cut off. The recent flash floods that damaged footbridges, roads, and other infrastructure caused major disruptions in Sikkim.
Amid the catastrophe in the northeastern state of Sikkim, following the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in South Lhonak Lake creating havoc across the Teesta basin in Sikkim and North Bengal, a total of 523 tourists were left stranded in the Lachen village out of which, two suffered casualties, an official said on Tuesday.
“The situation in Lachen is too bad. Two people suffered casualties, the rest are safe…Due to the disconnectivity of the road, we can’t travel…I would like to tell the tourists and their relatives to not worry since as per the state and central government’s directions, most of them have been airlifted with the help of the army”, said Samdup Lepcha, MLA, Lachen (Mangan) constituency.