International Desk: The death toll has risen to 38 due to heavy rains and flash floods in the small Himalayan state of Sikkim. Six soldiers are also among the dead. Besides, at least three thousand tourists are stranded. News from NDTV and the Times of India
According to the report, more than 70 people, including 16 soldiers, are still missing. Also, 2,500 tourists have been rescued. At least 14 bridges have already collapsed, a government official said.
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 Sikkim’s Teesta River.
The BBC reports that a cloudy 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.
