The Indian
Air Force evacuated 176 survivors, including 16 foreign nationals from the
flood-hit State on Tuesday, said an IAF official.
The IAF
also air-landed 9,400 kg of relief material in the State, an official said.
The Indian
Air Force has positioned its Mi-17 V5, CH-47 Chinooks and Cheetah helicopters
as part of the relief efforts in the flood-hit Sikkim to evacuate those
stranded in remote areas and to drop essential supplies to areas that have been
cut off, as per the IAF officials.
Sikkim
suffered significant disruptions due to the recent flash floods that inflicted
damage on footbridges, roads, and other infrastructure.
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, said an official.
“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.
ANI
