In a tragic incident on Friday morning around 10:40 AM, a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) paramilitary truck carrying 12 personnel, and a driver, veered off the road and plunged into a gorge at Toribari Zuluk in Sikkim’s Pakyong district. The truck was en route to Pakyong, and the jawans were deployed at the Lungthung-Dhuppidara border outpost in the region.
Ultimate Video Player with preset id Video News does not exist!The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched a rapid rescue operation to evacuate the injured personnel. Responding swiftly, the Eastern Air Command deployed Cheetah helicopters to the Zuluk helipad, located at an altitude of 12,000 feet, and Mi-17 helicopters stationed in Gangtok. The injured were airlifted to a military hospital in Bengdubi near Bagdogra for urgent medical attention.
Defence officials reported, “The Indian Air Force carried out swift rescue operations to evacuate 12 paramilitary personnel injured in a vehicle accident near Zuluk in the Sikkim sector. Despite the challenging terrain and the small helipad at Zuluk, all personnel were successfully evacuated and are now reported to be out of danger.”
The injured jawans include:
HC/GD Hardhan Roy, CT/GD Siddharth Nayak, CT/GD Ashik Munda, CT (Cook) Akhilesh Gupta (Critical), CT/GD Aakash Barla (Critical)
HC/GD Sudhir Kumar Singh, HC/GD Baidnath Pashwan, HC/GD Rokde Nandalal B, CT/GD Dipchand Minj, CT/GD Dudekula Hari , Mahindra Sharma, CT/GD Luk Tshering Lepcha and CT/DVR Yogendra Singh
Officials highlighted the complexity of the operation due to Zuluk’s high altitude and the limited space at the helipad. Despite these hurdles, the IAF’s prompt response ensured the safe evacuation of all injured personnel. The critical cases, including CT Akhilesh Gupta and CT Aakash Barla, are receiving specialized care.
This incident underscores the dedication and efficiency of the rescue teams in ensuring the safety of the nation’s paramilitary forces even in the most challenging conditions.
