3 Indian Army troopers die in a landslide following torrential rains in the northeast
3 Indian Army troopers die in a landslide following torrential rains in the northeast
GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Three Indian Army troopers died and six others, including an officer and his family, were missing after a massive landslide hit a forward military post in northeastern India’s Sikkim state along the border with China, a statement from local defense authorities said on Monday.
The incident happened Sunday night after a “catastrophic landslide,” triggered by heavy rainfall, struck the army camp at Chaten in north Sikkim, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the state capital, Gangtok, the statement said.
The army is working round the clock to locate the six missing persons, including the commanding officer of the post, his wife, and daughter, the statement said.
The death toll in the devastating rain-triggered floods and mudslides in northeastern India in the past four days has gone up to 36, with the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam recording 10 deaths each.
Thousands of people whose homes were submerged in Assam and elsewhere are lodged in government-run relief camps, officials said.
In Mizoram state, mudslides led to the blockage of 212 roads, according to an official bulletin.