Sikkim, June 3, 2025 : On the evening of June 1, devastating landslide triggered by heavy rainfall hit a military camp in Chaten, located in Sikkim’s Lachen region.
This incident claimed the lives of three army personnel, while six others remain unaccounted for.
According to a defence official, immediate response efforts managed to rescue four people who sustained only minor injuries.
The bodies of Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and porter Abhishek Lakhada were recovered from the site.
Since May 30 , the area has been largely isolated amid a severe cloudburst and over 130 mm of rainfall, which led to widespread landslides and damage to key roads, including the Dikchu Sanklang Shipgyere stretch and the Chungthang-Lachen-Zeema and Chungthang-Lachung routes.
Rescue operations are being carried out under challenging conditions due to treacherous terrain and persistent bad weather.
The Indian Army has been actively supporting the relief efforts and is also extending assistance to the families of the deceased personnel.
All the tourists who were stranded in Lachung, in the Mangan district, have been successfully evacuated. This large-scale operation began early Monday after the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) managed to restore limited vehicle access to the region. The repairs included clearing landslides and rebuilding key sections of damaged roads, including near the Phidang suspension bridge.
The restored route passing through Lachung, Chungthang, Siphgyer, and Phidang enabled the safe movement of stranded individuals.
A total of 1,678 tourists, comprising of 737 men, 561 women, and 380 children, have crossed the Theng Check Post and are now heading toward Gangtok in 284 vehicles and 16 motorcycles.
The successful evacuation was coordinated by Mangan District Collector Anant Jain, who commended the seamless cooperation among various agencies involved.
“This effort would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment of the local administration, Sikkim Police, Indian Army, BRO, ITBP, forest officials, Lachung Dzumsa, TAAS, SHRA, local drivers’ associations, and the determined local community,” Jain stated.
Complicating the crisis were the partial damages to two major bridges, further isolating one of the state’s popular tourist destinations.
