3 Chinese nationals take a wrong turn, reach Sikkim; Indian Army rescues them

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 5

Despite the ongoing tension with China, the Indian Army has helped three Chinese nationals who lost their way at the higher reaches of the Tibetan plateau. The three were travelling in a car, and reached northern Sikkim.

The area is a flat plateau, at an altitude of 17,500 feet, and the Tibetan plateau and Northern Sikkim plateau are contiguous.

The three, including a woman, possibly took a wrong turn in the tree-less landscape and reached northern Sikkim.

The incident took place on September 3.

The Armies of India and China are locked in a tense military stand-off in Ladakh. A danger loomed over their lives as the temperatures are below freezing point.

Indian Army immediately reached out and provided medical assistance including oxygen, food, and warm clothes to protect them from the vagaries of extreme altitude and harsh climatic conditions.

The Chinese trio was given appropriate guidance to reach their destination.

A soldier even checked the oil, the fuel pump and other parameters of the car engine. These tend to malfunction at extreme cold.

“The Chinese citizens expressed their gratitude to India and the Indian Army for their prompt assistance,” said an Army spokesperson.