Over 3,000 people in Sikkim rescued

PTI

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The Hindu Army and ITBP personnel are engaged in road clearance work in Bitu village, 10 km away from Gangtok town on Tuesday. Rescue and relief operations are on in full swing for the third consecutive day in the areas of Sikkim. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Using helicopters, heavy lift transport aircraft and infantry troops, defence forces have rescued more than 3000 people in the quake-hit areas of Sikkim and efforts intensified to extricate people trapped under the debris of collapsed structures, senior officers said on Tuesday. An Army personnel died in a landslide during rescue operation.

Reports said Vijay Kumar (52), Junior Engineer, Civil of Junior Reserve Engineering Force, an engineering team under Army died on Sunday in a landslide. The Army personnel hailing from Uttarakhand rushed for the rescue operations, after the earthquake struck Sikkim.

IAF has airlifted more than 500 troops there, including the medical and engineering teams and is conducting sorties of heavy lift transport aircraft and choppers from Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Bagdogra to ferry troops and ensure supply of medicines and food.

“There are eight to 13 helicopters which have been pressed into service in conjunction with the Air Force. 35 heavy engineering plant equipments have been deployed to restore roads and communication lines,” Deputy Director General of Military Operations Brigadier Ranbir Singh said on Tuesday.

Rescue efforts covering 62 villages and 20 medical centres have been set wherein over 370 people have been treated and 8 relief centres have been established where over 2700 people have been provided shelter, Mr. Singh said.

On rescue efforts in Mangan -- epicentre of the quake which hit Sikkim on Sunday, he said, “281 troops have reached Mangan, including four medical and two engineering teams. A relief camp has been established there and communication teams are working to establish telephone lines.”

The aircraft deployed includes two newly inducted heavyweight C-130 J which airlifted more than 200 personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Kolkata.

Twenty medical centres have been set up in the quake-affected areas in Sikkim and 11 cook houses to provide relief.

“The air bases around Delhi and Bagdogra were activated within few hours of the tragedy. The first flight of C-130 J with about 100 NDRF personnel and five tonnes of equipment took off at around midnight and landed in Bagdogra at 0200 hours on Monday,” Principal Director Operation (Transport and Helicopters) Air Commodore A. Raghvendra said here.

The IL-76 heavy lift transport aircraft took off from Chandigarh to Kolkata and airlifted about 100 personnel with equipments and on 19th four Mi-17 and two Cheetah helicopters were activated for casualty evacuations, he said.

IAF has also flown sorties of AN-32 aircraft from Jorhat and Delhi to ferry medicines and have airlifted around 4.5 tonnes of medicines.

Brigadier Singh said that for next few days the operations would concentrate on opening other major roads in the state including Nathu La and in Gangtok which have been affected by landslides.

“So far we have conducted 16 sorties of transport aircraft, 18 helicopter sorties and have airlifted 23 tonnes of load and 500 personnel to Bagdogra,” Air Commodore Raghvendra Said.