GANGTOK, June 24 � Sixteen people perished in three separate landslides which hit villages surrounding the West Sikkim district headquarters at Gyalshing. All three landslides took place at around 11.30 pm last night. Fourteen people were buried alive when rolling debris from a hill piled on a house, where 25 people were residing, at Khorong village in Yangthang constituency, Superintendent of Police, West Sikkim, AK Singh said.
The second landslide also buried a house at Tikjek village, killing on the spot a man identified as Kumar Thakur who lived there along with his friend. His friend had a miraculous escape when large chunks of mud and stones brought the house down like a pack of cards.
The bodies of eight victims have been retrieved so far as search and rescue operations were carried out throughout the night, DIG Range told this correspondent. Senior officials from the district administration, DC West, Santa Pradhan, SDPO West, SP West and MLA of the area PL Subba visited the affected villages.
The list of the deceased as issued by the DIG (Range) N Sridhar Rao are Pramila Gurung, resident of Upper Tinjek, Phipraj Subba Lingjoom, Sirijung Subba, Upper Tinjek, Kumar Rai of Darjeeling, Maya Tamang, wife of Kumar Rai, Anup Rai, father of Kumar Rai, Anu Rai, Tek Bahadur Adhikari, resident of Nepal, Januka Rai, wife of Tek Bahadur Rai and their one child, Dawa Tamang, Sukmaya Tamang, wife of Dawa Tamang, Maya Tamang, Raj Kumar Thakur, resident of Pelling and Manmaya Subba, resident of Tikjuk lost their lives in the landslide. Four people were injured and admitted to the Gyalshing hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, all essential supply lines have remained disrupted in the landslide-affected areas and torrential rains have hampered resue and restoration operations, informed the DIG Range.
