The Indian Air Force chopper Mi-17V5 was deployed to drop essential supplies for the villages of Sakyong and Pentong in North Sikkim on Saturday (July 25, 2020).
The region was completely cut off from the rest of Dzongu area due to multiple landslides and washing away of bridges triggered by an intense spell of rain.
The area has been inaccessible since July 10. The state government requested the IAF’s help and on the orders of the Eastern Air Command the choppers were enlisted for services.
Around 5.5 tonnes of essential commodities was transported to Sakyong from Mangan in Sikkim today.
Meanwhile, there is a week-long strict lockdown imposed in the state from July 21 (Tuesday) in an attempt to control the rising cases of coronavirus COVID-19. The lockdown will be in place from July 21 to July 27.
