Landslide Hits Army Camp in North Sikkim: 3 Dead, 9 Missing

Landslide Hits Army Camp in North Sikkim: Three army personnel died and six soldiers went missing after a landslide hit a military camp at Chhaten in Sikkim, a defence official said on Monday.

The landslide, which occurred at 7 pm on Sunday at Chaten in the Lachen district, was triggered by heavy rainfall in the area. Three bodies have been recovered, while six soldiers remain missing, a defence official said in a statement.

"The Indian Army promptly initiated rescue operations, displaying unparalleled commitment and resilience in the face of adversity," he said.

Four individuals have been rescued with minor injuries, while the mortal remains of three brave personnel, Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur and Porter Abhishek Lakhada, have been recovered.

"Rescue teams are working around the clock under challenging conditions to locate the six missing personnel," he said.

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"The Indian Army remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure the safety and well-being of all its personnel, demonstrating its unyielding spirit and dedication to duty even in the face of nature's fury," it 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,” said Arun Thatal, sub-divisional police officer of Chungthang in Mangan district.

Last Thursday, nine people, including eight tourists, went missing in North Sikkim after the vehicle, in which they were travelling, fell into the swollen Teesta River. All of them are suspected to be dead.

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Chatten, which is around 3 km from Lachen, is amongst the most affected by the landslides, and it houses many army camps.

“As many as 1,600 tourists, including 380 children, were rescued from Lachung on Monday. They had been stranded since May 30 after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides and the rivers swelled. The debris was cleared on Sunday night. Rescue operations started on Monday morning. Around 150 tourists are still stranded in Lachen. They are safe and lodged in hotels. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) is there too,” said Anant Jain, district collector of Mangan.

Both Lachen and Lachung are situated at an altitude of more than 2,700 metres. Tourists going to high-altitude destinations in North Sikkim such as Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley stop at Lachen and Lachung.

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