India: Highways, buildings washed away in Sikkim flash floods; 8 dead, 22 army personnel among many missing

A flash floodhit India’s northeastern Sikkim state after the Teesta River swelled to an alarming level due to a sudden cloud burst in the northern part of Mangan district. Eight people have died while 69, including 22 army personnel, are missing.

An alert was issued in the north and east districts on Wednesday (Oct 10) by the state administration after a sudden rise in the river’s water was witnessed on Tuesday night.The flood started around 1.30 am.

The flash floods were caused due to asudden cloudburst above Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim that made the Teesta River swell within Lachen Valley on Wednesday. The situation worsenedafter the release of water from Chungthang damthat submerged camps and vehicles, and resulted in the washing away of 22army personnel.

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The floods washed away a portion of Malli Road, the Indreni steel bridge in Gangtok's Singtam and the main highway connecting Sikkim to West Bengal state.

A "cloudburst in portions of Lhonak Lake, which caused the rise of water levels with very high velocities downstream along the Teesta River basin in the early hours of Wednesday", damaged many establishments in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi districts,the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in a press release.

"Three bodies have been recovered from Singtam during rescue and relief efforts," SSDMA said.

“Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region,” Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said.

The Sikkim government issued a notification declaring the floods as a natural disaster.

Along with 22 army personnel, 47 civilians are missing. Rescuers have been able to bring 166 people to safety, including 1 armyman.Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat has said that health of the rescued armyman is stable.

15,000 people affected by floods

Chief Secretary of the state VS Pathak said that around 15,000 people have been affected and at least eight major bridges have been washed away along the banks of the Teesta River.

“Some army establishments along the valley have been affected and efforts are on to confirm details,” Defence Public Relations Officer spokesperson, Guwahati, said in a statement.

The army vehicles were parked at Bardang near Singtam when the flash flood occurred after the release of water from the Chungthang dam.

"Flooding of Teesta River Basin has occurred due to cloud burst in the Northern Part of Mangan District. All are advised to stay alert and avoid travel along the River Basin," an alert message by Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority said.

PM Modi calls Sikkim CM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Sikkim CMPrem Singh Tamang. The PM took stock of the situation and assured of all possible help.

"Spoke to Sikkim CM Shri @PSTamangGolay and took stock of the situation in the wake of the unfortunate natural calamity in parts of the state. Assured all possible support in addressing the challenge. I pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected," Modi said on X.

Low-lying catchment areas cleared

All police stations in the low-lying areas have been alerted and told to evacuate the residents to safety.

Moreover, those living on the banks of the Teesta River have also been advised to evacuate their homes to ensure their safety.

Sikkim has been receiving incessant rainfall since Tuesday night, with South Sikkim recording 98 mm of rain and Namthang 90.5mm. East and West Sikkim also witnessed moderate rain.

"As regards weather forecast over Sikkim, light to moderate rainfall is expected during next 3-4 days over Sikkim," the India Meteorological Department said on X.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang took stock of the situation as a flood-like situation arose after a cloud burst in Singtam.

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