Finance
Gangtok: Early on Wednesday, flash floods struck Sikkim, claiming the lives of fourteen individuals and leaving 102 others, including 22 soldiers, missing. The state government released figures indicating that 26 people sustained injuries, and they have evacuated over 2,000 individuals. Additionally, the state government reported that the floods washed away eleven bridges, impacting a population of more than 22,000.
Led by the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), multiple agencies are carrying out search operations in the affected areas. The Indian Air Force is also on standby. Visuals shared by people on social media capture the scale of the devastation in the Northeastern state.
In the foothills of the Himalayas, Pakyong in east Sikkim has reported the most deaths – seven. The district is currently searching for 59 missing people, including 23 Army personnel.
Over 3,000 stranded tourists are feared in different parts of the state, a popular holiday destination.
Explaining what led to the disaster, Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak has said a cloudburst over Lhonak lake in northwest Sikkim raised water levels. The lake overflowed and water gushed towards the Teesta river, which flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
He said, “Soon, various areas in the Teesta basin reported rising water levels. Chungthang, especially, saw alarming levels due to a breach in the Teesta Stage 3 dam.”
State officials fear a shortage of food supplies with roads washed away and bridges damaged. The Army is taking action by assembling Bailey bridges — portable, prefabricated bridges — to restore connectivity to the affected areas.
As Teesta flows downstream from Sikkim to Bengal, sludge has entered homes near the state border. Moreover, NDTV visited the Teesta Bazaar area in Bengal’s Kalimpong district, where the swollen river has deposited sludge in homes and damaged trees in its course. Furthermore, in some homes, sludge had filled up almost an entire floor. Furthermore, the swollen river has washed away many homes closer to the bank.
