Gangtok, Jun 5 (PTI) Altogether 63 stranded people, mostly tourists, were on Thursday evacuated by helicopters from Chaten in north Sikkim, which was hit by a landslide earlier this week, officials said.

Sixty-four other tourists are still waiting at Chaten to be rescued by the army and local administration. The operation to rescue them was called off due to inclement weather and challenging terrains during the day, officials said.

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Chaten is located near Lachen, a small town in Mangan district, which is used by travellers to reach Gurudangmar Lake which is a popular tourist destination.

Officials said that two MI-17 helicopters were used to evacuate 39 people from Chaten to Pakyong airport, officials said.

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Four other people were evacuated in a Cheetah helicopter while an MI-17 chopper made a direct journey from Bagdogra in neighbouring West Bengal to Chaten, airlifting 20 passengers, they said.

Meanwhile, two MI-17 V5 helicopters are stationed at Pakyong airport for deployment in evacuation operation.

State government officials have also been in continuous coordination with the armed forces to safeguard lives and provide relief to the stranded people.

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 also on to find out the missing soldiers.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)