Helicopter with 1,300 kg relief materials leaves for landslide-hit Chaten in north Sikkim

Gangtok: A helicopter, carrying 1,300 kg of relief materials for army personnel and civilians, took off from the Pakyong airport here on Saturday for landslide-hit Chaten in north Sikkim, officials said. The MI-17 helicopter with five officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department on board left the airport this morning and will return with some army personnel from there, they said.

Several helicopters were deployed to rescue more than 140 stranded tourists from Chaten after multiple landslides, triggered by heavy rain, had disrupted road connectivity in north Sikkim. A landslide in Chaten on June 1 had claimed the lives of three soldiers, while four others were injured and six more went missing. Efforts are underway to locate the missing persons.