Gangtok:
Fourteen people were killed and 102 others, including 22 soldiers, are missing after flash floods hit Sikkim early on Wednesday. According to state government figures, 26 people have been injured so far and more than 2,000 people have been evacuated. Eleven bridges have been washed away and a population of more than 22,000 people has been affected, the state government said.
Under the leadership of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), multiple agencies are conducting search operations in the affected areas. The Indian Air Force is also on standby. Images shared by people on social media show the extent of the destruction in the northeastern state.
Pakyong in eastern Sikkim, in the foothills of the Himalayas, has reported the most deaths: seven. As many as 59 people are missing in the district; these include the 23 army personnel.
More than 3,000 tourists are feared stranded in various parts of the state, a popular holiday destination.
Explaining what led to the disaster, Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak said a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in northwest Sikkim caused the water level to rise. The lake overflowed and the water flowed towards the Teesta River, which flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
“Soon, several parts of the Teesta basin reported a rise in water, with particularly alarming levels in Chungthang, where the Teesta Stage 3 dam was breached,” he said.
With roads washed away and bridges damaged, government officials fear a shortage of food supplies. The military is assembling Bailey bridges – portable, prefabricated bridges – to restore connectivity to affected areas.
As Teesta flows downstream from Sikkim to Bengal, silt has entered houses near the state border. DailyExpertNews visited the Teesta Bazaar area in Bengal’s Kalimpong district, where the swollen river has deposited silt in houses and damaged trees along the way. In some houses almost the entire floor was filled with sludge. Many houses closer to the bank have been washed away.