The Centre has approved Rs 44.8 crore aid to Sikkim for relief and rescue operations in the state hit by flash floods.

The flash floods in the Teesta River basin left a trail of death and destruction in the northeastern state. An official statement confirmed on Friday 14 deaths in the natural calamity.

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The Centre has constituted an inter-ministerial team to assess the damage caused by the glacial lake outburst flood in the state.

A communique from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said, “To make an assessment of the damage caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)/cloudburst /flash floods, the Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will visit the affected areas of the state shortly.”

“In addition to that, the government has also approved the release of Rs 44.80 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund to the northeastern state,” it said.

Fourteen people have died and 102 others, including 22 army personnel, are missing after the cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin on Wednesday. So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity has affected 22,034 people, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority.

“The situation in Sikkim is being closely monitored by the central government at the highest level on a 24×7 basis. It is also providing full support to the Sikkim government by mobilizing timely logistics resources to deal with the situation effectively,” the statement said.

The logistics support included deployment of adequate teams of the National Disaster Response Force, Indian Air Force helicopters, and army personnel along with necessary search and rescue equipment, it said.

Further, technical teams of ministries of power, telecommunications and roads, highways, and transport are assisting in the timely restoration of damaged infrastructure and communication networks in the state, it added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and assured all possible help to the affected state.