Landslides Cut Off Contact With Two North Sikkim Villages, Air Force Comes To Rescue

Contact with two villages in North Sikkim has been cut off due to heavy rains and landslides in the northeastern state. Indian Air Force’s MI-17 helicopter is being used to transport food and food items to the disconnected villages, Sakyong and Pentong.

According to the state government, near a hundred sacks of 50–50 quintals of rice have been sent to both villages. Apart from this, important items like 550 litres of cooking oil, 1.5 quintal salt, 100 packets of candles, matches and medicines have also been delivered.

The state government has said that the Air Force helicopter has brought food and drink to the Sakyong school. From here, the goods will be transported to the villages through ropeway as the landing was not possible.

The nearby town of Sakyong and Pentong village is Zangu from where supplies of essential goods were arranged but the landslide on July 10 washed away the road connecting both the village and the town.

Sakyong and Pentong are two very sparsely populated villages in North Sikkim. According to the state government, there are 386 people living in Sakyong and 171 in Pentong. After the loss of contact, it became difficult to collect the necessary goods for them. When the state government teams failed to reach the villages, IAF was called in for help.