Sikkim flood: 21 dead, above 100 missing, 7,000 tourists stranded; evacuation to start today

Flash floods in India’s northeastern state of Sikkim have so far claimed 21lives, while more than 100 still remain missing, including 23 army personnel.

The floods were caused by a slew of factors, including a cloud burst, a breach in the South Shonak lake and the release of water from the Chungthang dam. This caused mayhem in at least four districts of the state.

Disaster authorities are also looking into the possibility of a breach in the lake triggered by an earthquake in neighbouring Nepal.

7,000 tourists safe

The state government Thursday (Oct 5) said the 7,000 tourists stuck in the floods were safe and getting help from the Indian army and rescue authorities.

The evacuation process is likely to start on Friday (Oct 6), given weather remains calm.

"All visitors to Lachen, Lachung and other places are safe. Though phone and mobile lines are down, Army officers are helping them communicate with their families back home, using the voice-over-internet protocol," said Sikkim chief secretary V B Pathak.

"The road beyond Mangan is devastated and Chungthang has suffered the most. As a result, Lachen and Lachung have been cut off from the rest of Sikkim. Only Lachung-Chungthang road is still motorable. We are trying our best to restore the road connectivity," said Tashi Wangyel, spokesperson for Sikkim Police.

Contact withChungthang established

Hem Kumar Chettri, District Collector of Mangan Districtsaid Friday that authorities were successful in establishing contact withChungthang Thursday night. The official said, "We were able to establish contact with Chungthang last night. We came to know that the entire town was full of slush. So, they have engaged machinery to clear the town. So far, there is no report of anyone missing from Chungthang town."

"But the damage has been extensive. People have been shifted to the BOP area. Today, we were supposed to take a helicopter to Lachung and come down to Chungthang. But because of the weather conditions, the helicopter may not come. So, we have decided to send a team on foot...One team will reach Chungthang today and will assess the actual situation...No casualties from Chungthang so far. There are reports of people missing from different areas but we have no report of anyone losing their life. Property damage has been extensive," he added.

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He further said that till evacuation begins, the tourists are being provided with essentials through choppers.“Once the helicopter service begins, tourists from Lachung and Lachen will be brought to Mangan district headquarters. From there, they will be brought to Gangtok by road. Their journey ahead will be taken care of,” Wangyel added.

Crackdown on hoarding and overpricing

Meanwhile, the state authorities on Wednesday (Oct 4) issued directives to prevent illegal hoarding and overpricing.

The state food and civil supplies department in a notice on Wednesday said petrol pumps across Sikkim should not sell more than 20 litres of diesel and 15 litres of petrol to a single individual.

“Fuel pumps have been advised to stock around 1,500 litres of both petrol and diesel for emergencies,” said a source to Telegraph India.

Senior government officials also talked to customers to ensure they were not charged extra amid fears of a shortage of essential supplies.

“Senior government officials also held talks with various trade bodies to ensure that there was no shortage of essential supplies. Plans have been drawn up to bring such items into the state through alternative routes as the NH10 is closed now,” a source was quoted as saying by Telegraph India.

(With inputs from agencies)

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