Gangtok, June 7 -- A total of 1300 kg of relief material was airlifted to Chaten on Saturday morning as part of the ongoing rescue and relief operations in North Sikkim, following recent disasters in the region, an official statement from the Sikkim Government said.

The first helicopter sortie of the day took off from Pakyong Greenfield Airport, carrying essential supplies and five officials from the Food and Civil Supplies Department, the statement added.

"Marking an important step in the ongoing relief efforts, in the first sortie of the day, IAF's MI-17 helicopter departed from Pakyong Greenfield Airport, transporting essential supplies to Chaten," said the Information and Public Relations Department of Sikkim, adding, "The helicopte...