Gangtok: The Indian Air Force on Friday evacuated 409 tourists and local people from flash flood-affected areas in North Sikkim, officials said.
They said that 18 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and two army personnel were among the evacuees.
Over the past six days, a total of 4353 people, including tourists, have been rescued by the authorities from places such as Lachen, Lachung, Chhaten and Pegong.
Around 3,000 tourists, including foreigners, got stranded in North Sikkim for nearly a week after a cloudburst over Lhonak glacial lake on October 3 led to a massive flash flood in Teesta river, causing devastation downstream in four districts – Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.
Meanwhile, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said the toll due to the flash flood remained unchanged at 37, including 10 army men, when 78 people were still missing.
Thirty people suffered injuries while 3024 displaced people have taken shelter at 19 relief camps.
A population of 88,400 has been affected by the disaster.
In a related development, the state government has developed a website – sikkimflood23.in – which contains all information related to the calamity.
