A coordinated air evacuation effort has successfully rescued 34 people from the affected region in the wake of the devastating landslide that shook an Indian Army camp at Chhaten near Lachen in Sikkim on June 1.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17 V5 helicopters were used for the evacuation as road access was still blocked by heavy rains and dangerous terrain, which made ground rescue efforts close to impossible.
Porters, Army soldiers and their families who had been stranded since the landslide were among those evacuated. The Army launched a swift response in coordination with the Air Force and civil authorities, which included airlifting the rescued people to safer areas.
Six people are still missing despite the successful airlift. Among those missing are Sepoy Sunilal Muchahary, Subedar Dharamveer, Lieutenant Colonel Pritpal Sandhu, his wife Arati Sandhu, their daughter Amaira, and Sepoy Sainudheen P.K.
A 23-person National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team assigned to the region, equipped with satellite phones, ground-penetrating radar, and other speciality items, is leading the ongoing search effort.
The landslide was further aggravated by heavy rains. The three deceased are Civilian Porter Abhishek Lakhada, Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, and Lance Naik Munish Thakur.
Lieutenant General Zubin Minawalla, the General Officer Commanding of the Army's 33 Corps, visited the area on Monday to meet personnel involved in the rescue and the families of the deceased and to assess the conditions.
To handle the ongoing rescue, relief, and communications operations, the Indian Army has established a temporary control node in the area. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is continuing their work under Project Swastik to restore major routes and reconnect remote areas.
The tragedy highlights the extreme vulnerability of high-altitude areas, such as North Sikkim, to climate-induced disasters and further emphasises the need for investments in climate-resilient infrastructure and emergency systems.