Operation Him Setu: Evacuation of Stranded Tourists Completed in Lachen, North Sikkim
Evacuation of all stranded tourists in Lachen, North Sikkim has been successfully completed in an incident-free, coordinated and seamless manner within 48 hours, despite adverse weather conditions.
A total of 1321 tourists and 84 local residents were safely evacuated during the operation.
Connectivity in the affected area had been restored through the construction of a foot bridge, enabling safe and continuous evacuation across disrupted stretches following landslide damage on the Lachen–Chungthang road.
Reception centres were established at key locations to provide food, shelter and medical care, while medical teams remained deployed to assist those in need. Army vehicles also assisted in towing civilian vehicles across difficult terrain.
The operation was executed in close coordination with the civil administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which simultaneously undertook road clearance, snow removal and restoration of connectivity under challenging terrain and weather conditions.
The evacuation effort was led by the Trishakti Corps under Eastern Command, Indian Army, with troops maintaining continuous ground presence to ensure safe and orderly movement throughout the operation.
An Army official stated, “Troops ensured restoration of connectivity, including construction of temporary bridges and safe crossing points, enabling uninterrupted evacuation despite adverse conditions.”
The situation remains under continuous monitoring.
