Flash flood kills 8; 22 jawans among 69 missing

GANGTOK: At least eight people died and 69 others, including 22 army personnel, went missing on Wednesday after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River basin, officials said.

Three of the dead were washed up in north Bengal, they said. The flood in Sikkim that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungthang dam, the officials said. “Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region,” Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said.

Another official said besides the 22 army personnel, 47 civilians were also missing, while 166 people have so far been rescued, including an armyman. Bodies, including that of a child, were seen fished out from the flood plains of the Teesta river at Golitar in Singtam by rescue personnel, the officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to take stock of the situation, and assured all possible support.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level in the Teesta river was below the danger mark at 1 pm Wednesday with no flood situation.

Rajeev Bhattacharya, 25, a tourist from Kolkata who was on a trek from Gangtok towards Singtem, told PTI over phone: “We saw a huge wave of water rushing at great speed through the valley and mangled remains of structures being swept away. Luckily, my friends and I were on high ground and not affected by the flash flood. We are now making our way back to Gangtok.”