Amid a series of massive landslides in Sikkim earlier this month, the Army has now combined cutting-edge tech with human efforts in its rescue operations as a new model of first response to disasters in the Eastern Himalayas, particularly in the remote, high-risk areas.
The first ever display of this new strategy was evident during the landslides in Lachen on June 1, about 123 km from Gangtok, where three soldiers lost their lives and six went missing.
The Army, to support the search in treacherous conditions, deployed Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) drone from a platform called BonV Aero, a deep-tech startup.
The drone soared over the debris, scanning beneath the surface to detect hidden anomalies precisely.
It helped pinpoint two locations – at depths of 0.76 meters and 0.015 meters. Rescue teams dug at the exact spots and confirmed the presence of human remains, cutting down the time in rescue operations.
Unlike thermal cameras or trained dogs, which often falter in unstable terrain or deep burials, this new drone based platform gave rescue teams a safe, real-time view of what lay hidden beneath.
The drone’s data fed into a digital map on-site, giving Army engineers not just an aerial view but critical sub-surface intelligence-turning guesswork into guided action.
This model will now be used for future disaster response rescue operations, particularly in Sikkim where massive landslides are very common, Army sources added.
