Sikkim Flash Food: Death Toll 21, Search on for 103 Missing People

Gangtok: The death toll in the flash flood in Sikkim reached 21 on Friday.

According to Sikkim CM PS Tamang, out of the 23 missing army personnel, the bodies of seven have been recovered while one was rescued. Search continues for 15 missing jawans.

Personnel of the Army and NDRF are searching in the slushy earth and fast-flowing water in the Teesta river basin for the third day to locate people still missing.

A cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood.

So far, 2,411 people have been evacuated and accommodated at relief camps, while the calamity has affected over 22,000 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.

The Sikkim government has set up more than 20 relief camps in different places. Over 2,000 persons have evacuated so far.

Several towns, including Dikchu, Singtam, and Rangpo located in the Teesta basin, were also flooded with the upsurge in the Teesta river.

On the other hand, erosion continues on the right bank of the Teesta in West Bengal’s Hill areas.