17 more people evacuated from north Sikkim as rescue operations resume

In this image via Defence PRO on June 5, 2025, the Indian Air Force personnel evacuate people from a landslide-hit Chaten area, in Sikkim. Photo credit: Defence PRO

Rescue teams evacuated 17 out of the 64 tourists stranded at Chaten in north Sikkim, as operations to bring them back from the landslide-hit area resumed on Friday (June 6, 2025) morning, officials said.

The rescued tourists were brought to Pakyong by a helicopter, they said.

"A helicopter successfully carried out the first evacuation of the day, airlifting 17 individuals from Chaten to Greenfield Airport, Pakyong," an official said.

Around 47 more people are still stuck in Chaten, and all of them will be evacuated by helicopters as soon as possible, he said.

The state government has arranged buses to transport the rescued people from the airport to Gangtok from where they would leave for their onward destinations, the official said.

A team from the Health and Family Welfare Department was also present at the airport to carry out preliminary medical screening of the evacuees, he added.

Efforts to rescue the stranded tourists from Chaten resumed on Friday (June 6, 2025), with three helicopters taking off from the Pakyong Greenfield Airport.

Altogether, 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday evacuated by helicopters from Chaten, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, the officials said.

The evacuation operation was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrain on Thursday, they said.

The rescue operation will continue depending on weather conditions and operational feasibility, the officials said.

Three army personnel were killed, six soldiers went missing and several others were injured after a landslide hit a military camp at Chaten on the evening of June 1. Efforts are underway to locate the missing soldiers.

Published - June 06, 2025 12:41 pm IST