At least 14 people have been confirmed dead while 102 are, including 22 Army soldiers are still missing after a cloud burst induced flash flood in Sikkim, the state government confirmed late Wednesday. All the deceased are civilians while missing people also include the Army personnel. One of the 23 missing soldiers has been rescued and undergoing medical treatment while search for 22 others is underway.
According to a news agency ANI report, more than 3,000 tourists are feared to be stranded in different parts of the State. Around 14 people are also believed to be trapped in the tunnels of the Teesta Stage 3 dam in Chungthang.
The catastrophe has been declared a “disaster” by the state government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang of all the possible help to restore normalcy in the state.
What triggered the flash flood in Sikkim?
On the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, a cloud burst over Lhonak Lake triggered flash flood in the Teesta River that flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
Due to massive inflow of the water, the lake breached its embankment and made its course towards Teesta River. This deteriorated the situation and led to the sudden rise in water level of the Teesta basin, particularly in Chungthang where the under construction Teesta Stage 3 dam was breached.
Three districts of Sikkim – Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong were the worst hit. The flash floods caused extensive damage to at least 14 bridges and washed away several roads, including a portion of National Highway 10, which connect North Sikkim to rest of the country.
Mobile internet and communication have also been lost in the affected areas after flood destroyed the fiber optical cable. It is likely to take several days to restore communication services and reopen the NH 10.
Meanwhile, several low lying areas of Bengal near the banks of Teesta have also been affected due to sudden rise in water level of the river. A flood alert has been sounded for North Bengal and some parts of Bangladesh.