Using helicopters, heavy lift transport aircraft and infantry troops, defence forces have rescued more than 3000 people in the quake—hit areas of Sikkim and efforts intensified to extricate people trapped under the debris of collapsed structures, senior officers said today.
IAF has airlifted more than 500 troops there, including the medical and engineering teams and is conducting sorties of heavy lift transport aircraft and choppers from Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Bagdogra to ferry troops and ensure supply of medicines and food.
“There are eight to 13 helicopters which have been pressed into service in conjunction with the Air Force. Thirty-fvie heavy engineering plant equipment have been deployed to restore roads and communication lines,” the Deputy Director General of Military Operations, Brigadier Ranbir Singh, said here today.
Rescue efforts covering 62 villages and 20 medical centres have been set up, wherein over 370 people have been treated and 8 relief centres have been established where over 2,700 people have been provided shelter, Singh said.
On rescue efforts in Mangan, epicentre of the quake which hit Sikkim on Sunday, he said, “281 troops have reached Mangan, including four medical and two engineering teams.
A relief camp has been established there and communication teams are working to establish telephone lines.”
The aircraft deployed includes two newly inducted heavyweight C—130 J which airlifted more than 200 personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Kolkata.
Twenty medical centres have been set up in the quake-affected areas in Sikkim and 11 cook houses established to provide relief.
“The air bases around Delhi and Bagdogra were activated within few hours of the tragedy. The first flight of C-130 J with about 100 NDRF personnel and five tonnes of equipment took off at around midnight and landed in Bagdogra at 0200 hours on Monday,” the Principal Director of Operations (Transport and Helicopters), Air Commodore A. Raghvendra, said here.
The IL-76 heavy lift transport aircraft took off from Chandigarh to Kolkata and airlifted about 100 personnel with equipments and on 19th four Mi-17 and two Cheetah helicopters were activated for casualty evacuations, he said.
IAF has also flown sorties of AN 32 aircraft from Jorhat and Delhi to ferry medicines and have airlifted arond 4.5 tonnes of medicines.
Mamata visit
The West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, today went around some quake-hit areas in Sikkim where the toll has climbed to 50 and promised all help to the state to tide over the crisis.
As her convoy reached Rangpo to enter Sikkim through the landslide-hit National Highway 31A, the lifeline of the State, she was welcomed by some Ministers and a large crowd. She was greeted with traditional ‘khada' (scarf).
Ms Banerjee interacted with people and visited two hospitals, including the central referral hospital where many quake victims have been admitted.