The Indian army and other agencies continued their search and rescue operations in north Sikkim on Wednesday, but did not succeed in tracing any of the 15 missing persons.

Last week, the region had borne the brunt of intensive monsoonal rainfall that triggered multiple landslides, swept away bridges, claimed human lives, and snapped connectivity.

At Chaten, an area located near Lachen, a massive landslide on Sunday evening led to the deaths of three army personnel. Six persons, including an army officer, his wife and daughter, and three army jawans went missing. Till Wednesday evening, they were traceless.

“Search operations are on with urgency to locate the six missing after the landslide struck a military camp at Chaten on Sunday. The army deployed specialised teams, choppers and engineering equipment.... However, ongoing efforts have been significantly hampered by extremely bad weather, unstable ground and challenging high-altitude terrain,” said a source.

It has been three days since Lt Col Pritpal Singh Sandhu, his wife Squadron Leader (retired) Aarti Sandhu and their daughter Amayra went missing. No news of Subedar Dharamveer, Naik Sunilal Muchahary and Sepoy Sainudheen P.K. have been found as well.

Last Thursday, a vehicle with eight tourists and a driver fell into the swollen Teesta in Munshithang, also in north Sikkim. They are also traceless.

The army is working relentlessly to assist residents and stranded tourists at Lachen, a popular tourist destination in north Sikkim that sits on the India-China border.

Because of the downpour, landslides and extensive damage caused to some of the bridges, road connectivity between Lachen and the rest of the state has snapped.

“The army has established foot connectivity to Lachen and reached out to 113 stranded tourists. As a part of the ongoing rescue and evacuation operations, two helicopters have been stationed at the Pakyong Greenfield Airport since yesterday (Tuesday), and so far, one successful sortie has been conducted, during which 34 stranded tourists were safely airlifted from Lachen,” said a source.

However, because of inclement weather, subsequent flights were not possible. On two separate attempts, the helicopters returned midway.

If the weather remains rough over the next few days, the army, along with the state government and other agencies, will go ahead with the ground transshipment of tourists.

“Tourists need to be shifted from Lachen to Chungthang, 28km apart. There are four to five critical block points in this stretch, which include damaged sections and collapsed bridges. These areas require crossing on foot,” said a source in the Mangan district administration.

Some ground efforts, he said, are underway, and teams comprising local people, the army, the NDRF and the GREF are working to construct footpaths and temporary wooden bridges. “Similar efforts have been taken by teams from the Chungthang side,” he said.

On Wednesday, P.S. Tamang (Golay), the chief minister of Sikkim, held a high-level emergency meeting to assess the critical situation in Mangan district.

Golay appealed to the residents and tourists to remain calm and not give in to fear.

He also underscored that the government was doing everything in its power to manage the crisis despite the magnitude of the natural calamity.

“I sincerely urge all residents and tourists not to panic. Trust that your government is doing everything within its power to manage the situation and protect lives. We are with you at every step, and we will not rest until safety and normalcy are restored,” Tamang wrote in a post on social media.

Also, a team of senior administrative officials, including representatives of the state disaster management authority, visited the Pakyong Airport today to assess the situation and oversee preparedness for relief operations.

Sources said the ongoing relief operations in north Sikkim faced a critical setback after two key bridges over the Taran Chu river, situated between Munshithang and Chaten, were confirmed to have been washed away earlier due to incessant rains.

“This has severed motorable access to Chaten from Lachen. The loss of infrastructure has intensified the logistical challenges of the ongoing disaster response,” said a source.

Traffic curbs

The Teesta river, which swelled due to intensive rainfall in its upper catchments in Sikkim, damaged a portion of the NH10, the principal highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri, near Likhuvir in Bengal.

The river, sources said, eroded a side of the road that runs through the right bank.

Movement of heavy vehicles on the NH10 has been restricted. Light vehicles, however, are moving along the route, said a transporter based in Siliguri.