International Desk: 14 people have died so far due to heavy rains and flash floods in the small Himalayan state of Sikkim. Also, at least 102 people, including 14 soldiers, are missing. This information was given in a report by NDTV on Thursday, October 5.
At least 14 bridges have already collapsed, a government official said. It is feared that more than three thousand tourists are stranded in different parts of the state.
One of the 23 soldiers who were swept away by the sudden flood yesterday was rescued alive. At the same time, many camps, vehicles, and homes of the Army and India-Tibetan Border Police were swept away by the river.
Eyewitnesses say they can’t remember ever seeing such a terrible flood and devastation in the Teesta River in Sikkim.
North Bengal river experts say yesterday’s Wednesday means tonight is going to be very worrying. According to them, Sikkim is still receiving rains, along with the release of water from several dams built on the Teesta.
The BBC reports that a patchy shower over the brackish lake in the Lachen Valley will fall after midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was accompanied by continuous rains for the past few days.
Chungtham Dam had to be opened as the amount of water in the Teesta suddenly increased due to the cloud-breaking rain on the brackish lake. Authorities said that some areas of the dam have also been damaged.
A number of trekkers, soldiers, and members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are also missing, according to the country’s National Disaster Response Force.
