Sikkim flash flood: death toll climbs to 21, hunt for 103 persons still missing continues

The death toll from the Sikkim flash flood rose to 21 on Friday as Army and NDRF forces spent a third day searching for those who were carried away and are still missing in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal, authorities said.

According to Chief Minister P S Tamang, of the 23 army men who were missing from the Burdang district, seven have been found dead in various locations downstream, one has been saved, and the hunt continues for 15 more.

After a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday caused the flash flood, 103 people—including the 15 jawans—remain unaccounted for.

According to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), over 22,000 people have been impacted by the disaster, and 2,411 have been evacuated and housed in relief camps so far.

The cloudburst in Lhonak Lake, which produced the flash flood in the Teesta River, accumulated a large amount of water that turned towards the Chungthang Dam and destroyed the power infrastructure before flowing downstream in spate and drowning cities and villages.

13 bridges were damaged by the flood in the state, eight of which were lost in the Mangan district. Two bridges in Namchi and three in Gangtok were both damaged.

Six of the alleged civilian fatalities occurred in Gangtok, while four each occurred in Mangan and Pakyong.

Following the event, 103 persons were reported missing in total. Of them, Pakyong reported 59 missing, Gangtok 22 lost, Mangan 17 missing, and Namchi 5 missing.

With 80% of it seriously damaged, Chungthang town took the weight of the flood the worst. The NH-10, which is regarded as the state’s lifeblood, suffered severe damage in multiple locations.

The search for the remaining 15 army troops who have gone missing is now taking place downstream, close to the Teesta Barrage.

According to a defense announcement, shops and army vehicles have been found near the scene of the event in Burdang. Tracker dogs and specialized radars have also been used in the search efforts.

It said that 1,471 tourists who were stuck in the regions of Lachen, Laching, and Chungthang had been accommodated by the army.

There may be a window of opportunity for the trapped visitors to be evacuated by helicopters on Friday when the weather improves, it added.

All authorities are conducting surveys to evaluate the harm and plan the restoration of road connections. The clearance of a single lane for vehicle traffic, according to the announcement, has restored the road connectivity between Singtam and Burdang.