Sikkim witnessed a flash flood situation due to cloudburst on Wednesday. In the flash flood, 23 Indian Army personnel went missing, news agency ANI reported.
Heavy rain in North West Sikkim caused a glacial lake outburst at South Lhonak Lake and this led to flash floods. Officials issued high alerts near River Teesta. The flood swept away the Indreni Bridge in Singtam and a connecting bridge in Balutar hamlet around 4 am, as reported by Gangtok District Administration.
Up to this point, there have been reports of 23 army soldiers who are unaccounted for. According to available information, it is possible that both military and paramilitary personnel, along with laborers working in low-lying regions, may have been carried away by the flash flood following the river’s path. Local residents in the area were evacuated after the area was put on high alert.
Numerous residences in the vicinity of the Teesta River, located in Singtam, Gangtok, have been cleared of occupants. Furthermore, authorities have set up provisional relief centers at Singtam Senior Secondary School in the town.
Political leaders such as Mamta Banerjee and Sikkim BJP chief Dilli ram Thapa, expressed their concern over the situation. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee conveyed her worries over the report of 23 soldiers that went missing after the flash flood in Sikkim. She also assured all possible help on the part of her government.
Mamata Banerjee wrote on X, previously known as Twitter, and conveyed her apprehensions regarding the safety of the people. She stated, “In addition to expressing our support and the readiness of our government to provide assistance if requested, I also appeal to all those in North Bengal to remain extremely vigilant during this season to avert any potential disasters. I have already instructed my Chief Secretary to promptly organize disaster preparedness measures.”
The West Bengal Chief Minister also said that her administration has taken efforts to evacuate people to safer locations in Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts.
The BJP state chief Dilli Ram Thapa said that this is the time to help each other and stay united. He urged the people of the state to stand together in this difficult time. He asserted on helping each other to overcome the destruction.
NDRF rescued 7 people from Sikkim’s Singtam while West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi reported that 3 bodies have been recovered which are yet to be identified.
Visuals from the flood-affected areas showed the State Disaster Response Force carrying out rescue operations in the area.
At 1 pm on Wednesday, the Teesta river’s water level was below the danger mark, and there is no flood threat in the area, as per the Central Water Commission (CWC) data. The CWC reports that the water levels at Melli, Singtam, and Rohtak stations are slightly below the danger mark, with a rising trend but not reaching warning levels, indicating no current flood situation.