A 7-year-old girl, Angel Rai, was rescued alive from the rubble of a house struck by a landslide in Upper Rimbi, West Sikkim’s Yangthang constituency, officials said on Friday, as operations continued
to locate several people still missing.
The slide struck around midnight, razing a family home and killing at least three residents on the spot. Another injured person later died at the district hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to four.
Superintendent of Police for Geyzing, Tshering Sherpa, said a joint operation involving local police, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and villagers was launched immediately after the disaster.
Teams managed to pull two injured women from the debris and rush them to the District Hospital; one succumbed to her injuries, while the other remains in critical condition.
Severe weather and swollen waterways impeded access to the site.
To reach affected houses cut off by floodwaters, rescuers built a log bridge across the dangerously swollen Hume River, enabling teams to ferry survivors and equipment to safety.
#WATCH | Sikkim | Four dead and three missing after a landslide in Upper Rimbi under the Yangthang Constituency in West Sikkim at midnight. Three individuals were killed on the spot when the landslide hit. The police team, in coordination with local villagers and SSB personnel,… https://t.co/wafkzs0Qiw pic.twitter.com/xQtanW71fW
— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2025
Officials warned that persistent rain is complicating search efforts and raising the risk of further slides.
“Conditions are extremely challenging,” an official said.
Search teams continued to search debris and adjacent riverbanks on Friday, supported by local villagers who have joined security personnel in clearing rubble.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of all the deceased or the missing.
Local administration officials said they are coordinating with relief agencies to provide temporary shelter and medical care for affected families, while monitoring rainfall forecasts for the area.
The community and security forces remain on high alert as recovery work proceeds.
Officials warned that operations will continue only as weather and safety conditions allow. Further updates are expected as teams complete clearance and accounting at the site.
