IAF Steps Up: Conducts Disaster Relief Operations In Sikkim

A Defense official said on Monday, October 9, 2023, that the Indian Air Force has begun disaster rescue and humanitarian aid operations in Sikkim, which was devastated by a flash flood in the Teesta river.

So far, 33 bodies, including those of 9 army soldiers, have been found in the mud and rubble left behind by the flash flood that destroyed Sikkim. Officials in the Himalayan state said that they were still looking for more than 105 people who went missing.

The Jalpaiguri district government in northern West Bengal, which is next door, said that 40 bodies were found in the river downstream.

Officials said that the numbers reported by Sikkim and West Bengal might be slightly off, even though both states were keeping each other up to date on their rescue operations.

“The IAF commenced its humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations from Air Force Station Bagdogra for the flood victims of Sikkim on the Air Force Day,” a Defense official said.

From Sunday on, the air force began sending Garud troops, communication gear, fuel, medicines, and search and rescue gear to the state in Chinook and MI 17 V5 helicopters, he said.

The official said that the IAF is ready to help the people who were hurt by the flash floods that shook the small Himalayan state. The Eastern Air Command is in charge of coordinating the humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) activities.

“The helicopters are kept ready to transport the stranded tourists and local residents to safer locations as soon as the weather conditions improve,” a Defense official said.

On Monday, the Met Department said that over the next five days, there would be light to moderate rain in many places, along with thunderstorms and lightning in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

The Jalpaiguri district government in West Bengal said that 40 bodies have been found so far in the area below the Teesta River. The government said that 10 bodies have been discovered so far.

The final death toll will be known in a few days after all the details are put together. This is because bodies are still being found in the slush and debris that Teesta left behind in both states.

Fifty-eight hundred people were hit by the flash flood that began early Wednesday morning when clouds burst. The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) says that 2,563 people have been saved from different parts of the state that were cut off from the rest of the country.