Gangtok. Indian Army rescued 46 tourists stranded in high altitude areas of East Sikkim under ‘Operation Himrahat’. Officials confirmed this on Monday. Defense officials said that sudden and heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures on February 22 disrupted traffic in several sensitive areas of East Sikkim, leaving many tourist vehicles stranded and exposing civilians to extreme climatic conditions. Acting immediately, Indian Army troops deployed in the area launched coordinated relief and rescue operations to assist the affected people, officials said. According to an official statement, the rescued tourists were taken to the nearest army camp, where, they were medically examined and given necessary care.
The Indian Army provided warm shelter, food, heating facilities and essential relief materials to mitigate the effects of extreme cold and altitude related stress. Medical teams are closely monitoring the health condition of all the rescued people and they will be sent ahead only after their health improves. Apart from evacuating the stranded people, the Army also helped in safely and orderly evacuation of more than 150 tourist vehicles from the affected routes to safe places.
The soldiers controlled traffic in difficult areas, preventing panic and exposure to bad weather conditions. Defense officials said timely prompt action helped in restoring traffic in the area and also helped in preventing the situation from worsening amid the inclement weather.
Despite the high altitude conditions and freezing cold, the army personnel remained very active throughout the operation. This rescue operation reflects the Indian Army’s continued commitment towards Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), especially in remote and inaccessible areas affected by natural disasters.
Officials further said that the successful conduct of ‘Operation Himrahat’ once again underlines the Army’s role as a credible first responder during natural disasters in the region.
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