Army rescues 500 stranded tourists from landslide-hit Sikkim
The Indian Army rescued 500 stranded tourists, including 54 children, in Sikkim as torrential rain in parts of the Himalayan state caused landslides and roadblocks.
Rescue operation
The Indian Army rescued 500 stranded tourists, including 54 children, in Sikkim as torrential rain in parts of the Himalayan state caused landslides and roadblocks. Heavy rain was witnessed in Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang on Friday and as a result of this, approximately 500 tourists, who were travelling to Lachung and Lachen Valley, were stranded at Chungthang due to landslides and roadblocks en route.
On request from SDM Chungthang, troops of Trishakti Corps, Indian Army swung into action and rescued the stranded tourists to safety. The stranded tourists included 216 men, 113 women and 54 children and they were moved to three different army camps. They were provided with hot meals and warm clothing. The troops vacated their barracks to accommodate the tourists and make them comfortable for the night. Three medical teams were formed, to check the health condition of all the travellers.
Geological perspective
From a geological perspective, Sikkim Himalayas is perpetually prone to landslide and frequently experience landslide events of variable magnitude and intensity. Most of these landslides are prompted by incessant rain and monsoon rainfall during June to October causing quite a few tremendous and devastating landslides in Sikkim Himalayas. Since Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayas fall within Zone-IV and V of Seismic Zonation Map of India (BIS, 2002), the probability of earthquake-triggered landslides increases manifolds.