10 dead, 82 missing, 14 bridges collapse in Sikkim flash floods
Gangtok: At least 10 civilians were killed in a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim, while 82 people, including 22 Army personnel, are currently missing, according to media reports.
The cloudburst caused the lake to overflow, resulting in flash floods in the Teesta River.
A government official said 14 bridges collapsed, and 3,000 tourists are stranded across various parts of the state, reported NDTV.
The calamity occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.
The rushing waters also damaged a dam at Chungthang, the state's largest hydropower project, exacerbating the flooding downstream.
The Sikkim government has declared this calamity a disaster under the Disaster Management Act.
Amid the catastrophe, the Army said on Wednesday evening that it successfully rescued one of the 23 soldiers who had gone missing from Singtam town. The rescued soldier is reported to be in stable condition.
A senior official in the Sikkim government has confirmed that 10 people, all of whom were civilians, have lost their lives, while 82 people remain missing, said the NDTV report.
An official said that a total of 14 bridges, comprising nine under the Border Roads Organisation and five under the State government collapsed and as many as 3,000 tourists are feared stranded.
Reports of injuries and missing persons have emerged from Chungthang in Mangan district, Dikchu and Singtam in Gangtok district, as well as Rangpo in Pakyong district.
The official further mentioned that more than 25 people have been promptly transferred to different hospitals for treatment.
The flash floods in Sangkalan and Toong in Mangan district, have led to the destruction of fibre cable lines, resulting in the disruption of mobile networks and broadband connections in Chungthang and most of North Sikkim.
"Troops of Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army launched a massive search-and-rescue operation to trace the 23 missing soldiers. The search operations are being undertaken under conditions of incessant rains and fast-flowing water in the Teesta River with the roads and bridges washed away at many places. By evening, one soldier had been rescued and the search operation for the other 22 personnel continues," an Army official said.
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