Gangtok, Sep 12 || At least four people were killed and three others went missing after a massive landslide struck Upper Rimbi in Yangthang Constituency of West Sikkim at midnight, officials said on Friday.
According to Geyzing Superintendent of Police Tshering Sherpa, three of the victims died on the spot when the landslide swept away several houses.
The deceased have been identified as Bhim Prasad Limboo (53), his sister Anita Limboo (46), his son-in-law Bimal Rai (50), and his seven-year-old granddaughter Anjal Rai.
Two women were pulled out alive in a daring overnight rescue operation carried out jointly by the police, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawans, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, and local villagers.
The rescuers constructed a makeshift tree-log bridge across the flooded Hume River to reach the trapped victims. Both injured women were rushed to the District Hospital in Geyzing. However, one of them succumbed to her injuries, while the other remains in critical condition, hospital sources confirmed.