At least 25 people died and 143 others, including 22 army personnel, still missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday, October 4, triggered a flash flood. Army and NDRF teams were working round the clock through slushy earth and fast-flowing water in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal in search of those who were swept away and are still missing, officials said.
Twenty-six people have suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at various hospitals across Sikkim. So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity has affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in a bulletin.
Sikkim flash floods | Search for the missing Indian Army personnel continues. Meanwhile, Indian Army is providing assistance in terms of food, medical aid and extending communication facilities to civilians and tourists stranded in North Sikkim: PRO Defence, Guwahati pic.twitter.com/NYCZQ5H7A0
— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2023
Chief Secretary VB Pathak said that he was informed by officials of the Army’s 27th Mountain Division that the tourists who were stranded in Lachen, Lachung and adjoining regions in North Sikkim are safe.
Pathak said that the Army activated their telecommunication facility and got many tourists to speak to their worried family members.
The evacuation of the stranded tourists was a priority and it has been decided to airlift them up to Mangan, from where they will be brought to Sikkim by road.
Referring to the situation in Singtam town, hit badly by swelling in the Teesta river, Pathak said that the restoration of water and electricity infrastructure has been completed in Singtam and IBM, the industrial belt nearby.
Also read | Sikkim flash floods: Loss to hydroelectric projects on river Teesta yet to be calculated
The flood destroyed 11 bridges in the state, of which eight bridges were washed away in Mangan district alone. Two bridges were destroyed in Namchi and one in Gangtok. Water pipelines, sewage lines and 277 houses, both kuchcha and concrete, have been destroyed in the four affected districts.
The flash flood in the Teesta River, triggered by the cloudburst in Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, caused an accumulation of a huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and villages.
About 10,000 people have been affected by the calamity in the Mangan district, while 6,895 people were affected in Pakyong, 2,579 in Namchi and 2,570 people in Gangtok.
The SSDMA advised people to stay away from the Teesta as the water level was rising due to incessant rains in the upper reaches.
Helpline numbers:
- Army helpline number for North Sikkim - 8750887741
- Army helpline number for East Sikkim - 8756991895
- Army helpline number for missing soldiers - 7588302011
With inputs from PTI
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First Published: Oct 6, 2023 9:11 AM IST
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