ARMY SETS UP DISASTER MANAGEMENT WARD AT BENGDUBI BASE HOSPITAL
GANGTOK, 21 Sept: A disaster management ward has been activated at the armed forces Base Hospital at Bengdubi near Siliguri in West Bengal to attend to people injured in the Sunday earthquake from Sikkim. A press communiqué received from the army informs that thus far, this Base Hospital has performed five major surgeries and 9 minor surgeries.
“Till yesterday, 43 casualties and 70 tourists [including 02 foreigners and children] have been evacuated mainly from Lachung and brought safely to Mangan,” informed Lt. General Vinod Bhatia, General Officer Commanding, 33 Corps, while addressing a press conference at the District Control Room here today.
Army helicopters were pressed into service to evacuate the casualties from remote areas of Sikkim to Bengdubi. Forty-three casualties have been evacuated from North as well as East Sikkim, it is informed.
Two ladies evacuated from North Sikkim have sustained serious head and spinal injuries and the condition of one of them is critical, the release adds. Most of the casualties had suffered multiple fractures.
After the earthquake hit the State on 18 September, 200 army personnel left Lachung on foot at 11 in the night itself and walked all the way to Chungthang, covering a distance of about 23 kilometers to help in the evacuation and rescue work there, Lt. Gen. Bhatia informs, adding that the army was trying to reach each and every place be it by foot or by helichopter to assist relief works.
He further informed that yesterday along with the GOC-in-C, Eastern Command they had visited Chattan and Thangu further north of Chungthang and have assured the people of the area that everything will be alright and that relief and rescue missions were being carried out on a war footing.
He also stated that roads were open upto Mangan and by Thursday evening, they will be able to reach Toong as today they had cleared 11.5 kilometers of road of debris. He also added that troops had been sent to Saffo and Rammom [Adit IV and Adit V of Teesta Stage III] to help in the rescue works there. People are feared to be trapped in the ongoing tunnel works.
“Due to further landslides in the Dzongu area, there have been further casualties reported and Sakyong Phentok, Bay and Tholung Gonpa have been completely cut off, so till the army can reach these areas by foot, 32 bags [1,600 kgs] of rice were air dropped at these places today,” the GOC informed. He added that food packets were also being air dropped and also being distributed to people in affected areas of North Sikkim.
The army has deployed 14 helichopters with the involvement of around 4,500 troops for relief and rescue works and is working in tandem with the State Government, the Indo Tibetan Border Police and GREF, while NDRF personnel are helping in Mangan, 11 of them have been air lifted by the army and reached to Chungthang. It was also informed that it would take more than a month for the road to be open properly from Mangan to Chungthang.
GANGTOK, 21 Sept: A disaster management ward has been activated at the armed forces Base Hospital at Bengdubi near Siliguri in West Bengal to attend to people injured in the Sunday earthquake from Sikkim. A press communiqué received from the army informs that thus far, this Base Hospital has performed five major surgeries and 9 minor surgeries.
“Till yesterday, 43 casualties and 70 tourists [including 02 foreigners and children] have been evacuated mainly from Lachung and brought safely to Mangan,” informed Lt. General Vinod Bhatia, General Officer Commanding, 33 Corps, while addressing a press conference at the District Control Room here today.
Army helicopters were pressed into service to evacuate the casualties from remote areas of Sikkim to Bengdubi. Forty-three casualties have been evacuated from North as well as East Sikkim, it is informed.
Two ladies evacuated from North Sikkim have sustained serious head and spinal injuries and the condition of one of them is critical, the release adds. Most of the casualties had suffered multiple fractures.
After the earthquake hit the State on 18 September, 200 army personnel left Lachung on foot at 11 in the night itself and walked all the way to Chungthang, covering a distance of about 23 kilometers to help in the evacuation and rescue work there, Lt. Gen. Bhatia informs, adding that the army was trying to reach each and every place be it by foot or by helichopter to assist relief works.
He further informed that yesterday along with the GOC-in-C, Eastern Command they had visited Chattan and Thangu further north of Chungthang and have assured the people of the area that everything will be alright and that relief and rescue missions were being carried out on a war footing.
He also stated that roads were open upto Mangan and by Thursday evening, they will be able to reach Toong as today they had cleared 11.5 kilometers of road of debris. He also added that troops had been sent to Saffo and Rammom [Adit IV and Adit V of Teesta Stage III] to help in the rescue works there. People are feared to be trapped in the ongoing tunnel works.
“Due to further landslides in the Dzongu area, there have been further casualties reported and Sakyong Phentok, Bay and Tholung Gonpa have been completely cut off, so till the army can reach these areas by foot, 32 bags [1,600 kgs] of rice were air dropped at these places today,” the GOC informed. He added that food packets were also being air dropped and also being distributed to people in affected areas of North Sikkim.
The army has deployed 14 helichopters with the involvement of around 4,500 troops for relief and rescue works and is working in tandem with the State Government, the Indo Tibetan Border Police and GREF, while NDRF personnel are helping in Mangan, 11 of them have been air lifted by the army and reached to Chungthang. It was also informed that it would take more than a month for the road to be open properly from Mangan to Chungthang.
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