Gangtok: A cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim on Wednesday caused flash floods in the Teesta river basin, killing at least 14 people while over 100 people, including 22 army personnel, are still missing.
After this disaster in Sikkim, the Indian Army, which is engaged in relief and rescue work, has issued helpline numbers, where for information about North Sikkim, 8750887741, 8756991895 for East Sikkim and 7588302011 can be contacted for information about missing soldiers.
Officials said that the flood in Sikkim, which started around 1.30 am, worsened due to the release of water from the Chungthang Dam. A steel bridge, known as Indreni Bridge, at Singtam, 30 km from state capital Gangtok, was completely washed away by the swollen Teesta river early on Wednesday.
Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chhetri said, ‘Five bodies have been recovered from Goliter and Singtam areas.’ Officials said three of the dead were washed away in North Bengal.
Another official said that apart from the army personnel, more than 80 civilians were still missing, while 45 people were rescued, including 18 injured.