Flash Floods Devastate Sikkim: 14 Dead, 102 Missing, and Thousands Affected

Flash Floods Devastate Sikkim: 14 Dead, 102 Missing, and Thousands Affected ,Image/NDTV

VoM News Desk | October 5, 2023 | 09:45 AM IST | Floods/Landslides/Event, Sikkim | Follow on Google News

Flash Floods Devastate Sikkim: 14 Dead, 102 Missing, and Thousands Affected

Flash Floods Devastate Sikkim: 14 Dead, 102 Missing, and Thousands Affected

In a tragic turn of events, Sikkim faced a devastating flash flood early on Wednesday, leaving 14 people dead and 102 others missing, including 22 soldiers. The state government’s official figures indicate that 26 individuals have sustained injuries, while more than 2,000 have already been evacuated from the affected areas. The disaster has taken a toll on the region, with eleven bridges washed away and over 22,000 people impacted.

Multiple agencies, including the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), have joined hands to conduct extensive search and rescue operations in the affected regions. The Indian Air Force stands ready for assistance as well. Heart-wrenching visuals shared on social media platforms paint a grim picture of the scale of devastation in this northeastern state.

The district of Pakyong in east Sikkim, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, has witnessed the highest number of casualties, with seven reported deaths. Additionally, 59 individuals are currently missing in this district, among them 23 Army personnel.

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The catastrophe has left more than 3,000 tourists stranded in various parts of the state, which is a popular holiday destination. Explaining the root cause of the disaster, Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak pointed to a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in northwest Sikkim, causing a surge in water levels. The overflow from the lake rushed towards the Teesta River, which flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. Pathak elaborated, “Soon different parts of the Teesta basin reported a rise in water, with particularly alarming levels in Chungthang where the Teesta Stage 3 dam was breached.”

With roads washed away and bridges severely damaged, concerns regarding a shortage of food supplies have emerged. The Army is swiftly assembling Bailey bridges, portable prefabricated bridges, to reestablish connectivity to the affected areas. Downstream in Bengal, the Teesta River has carried sludge into homes near the state border, causing significant damage and displacement. The Teesta Bazaar area in Bengal’s Kalimpong district paints a grim picture, with sludge-filled homes and trees damaged by the swollen river’s course, while some homes closer to the bank have been entirely washed away.

VoM News Desk

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