In a major tragedy, at least three army personnel were killed and six others went missing after a landslide struck a military camp in Chhaten, near Lachen town in Sikkim’s Mangan district, around 7 pm on Sunday, a defence official said on Monday. The landslide was triggered by intense and continuous rainfall in the region, the official added.
In a statement, the army identified the deceased as Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur, and porter Abhishek Lakhada. Their bodies have been recovered. Four other soldiers were rescued with minor injuries. “Rescue teams are working round-the-clock under challenging conditions to locate the six missing personnel,” the statement said.
The army has expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them of all necessary support.
Sikkim has witnessed heavy and continuous rainfall over the past several days, triggering landslides and raising concerns over further disruptions.
(With PTI inputs)
