Gangtok: The toll in the Sikkim flash floods has risen to 14, as the search operation continued to locate 102 missing people including 22 Army personnel, Defence and state government sources said on Thursday.
The devastation created by the Lhonak Lake Glacial outburst and heavy torrential rains on Wednesday in Sikkim has left 14 persons dead, while 102 others are missing, and over 22,000 affected, a state government official said.
The National Disaster Response Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Indian Army, and Sikkim Police have all been deployed to help those supposedly buried or swept away with slush and flood, the official said.
A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the search was on for the 22 missing soldiers.
“Search and rescue operation by troops of Trishakti Corps of Indian Army to trace the 22 missing soldiers continues. Continued efforts are on to dig out the vehicles submerged under the slush at Burdang near Singtam.,” the spokesperson said.
The search for the missing personnel is now focussing on the areas downstream of Teesta River.
It may be mentioned that of the 23 Army personnel reported missing initially, one soldier was recovered alive on Wednesday evening.
The family members of the missing Army persons have been contacted and informed about the situation, the spokesperson said.
“All other Indian Army personnel posted in Sikkim and North Bengal are safe and they are unable to contact their family members due to disruptions of mobile communication,” said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, troops of the Trishakti Corps are extending mobile connectivity to civilians and tourists stranded in Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen areas of North Sikkim.
The Sikkim government official said 2011 persons have been evacuated, of whom 630 are sheltered in 22 relief camps, started in different schools across the state. “Others have made their own arrangements. 22,034 people are adversely affected,” the official said.
The satellite images from ISRO show 60% of discharge from the vulnerable Lhonak Glacial Lake and 21 other lakes pose a potential threat.
Taxis are now plying by following an alternative route to West Bengal for the Bagdogra airport, Railway stations and bus stops in Siliguri for the outbound journey of the stranded tourists.
Nepal-bound people going home for the Dashai festival have taken a route via Darjeeling followed by Pashupatinath. However, vehicle operators are making a killing by charging huge fares.
