Sikkim flash floods day 4: Death toll mounts to 43, over 150 missing

Nearly 30,000 people are still affected by the deluge

Copy edited by Bhargobi Khaund

The death toll in the Sikkim flash floods has gone up to 43, and the number of missing people stands at 150, Sikkim government officials said. Over 2,413 individuals have been rescued from various parts of the state, but nearly 30,000 people are still affected by the deluge. Air evacuations from Lachen and Lachung could not be carried out due to adverse weather conditions.

A high-level meeting was also chaired by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and it was decided to prioritize the opening of the road connectivity up to Chungthang, while the road from Naga to Toong will be constructed subject to the availability of land as soon as possible. Inspections for the availability of land will begin today.

The meeting was marked by comprehensive discussions addressing the current situation, a range of measures aimed at reconstructing and rejuvenating the lost infrastructure, and strategies to extend support to North Sikkim in terms of connectivity and in its journey to recover and restore the serene and harmonious environment that was damaged by the devastating effects of the cloudburst-induced river surge.

On the other hand, the 22 Indian Army personnel who went missing after the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) occurred at the Lhonak Lake in the Chungthang area of North Sikkim and caused a flash flood in the Teesta river basin on Wednesday, remained untraceable for the fourth day today.

Search operations to locate the missing army personnel continue, focussing downstream towards the Teesta Barrage.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SDRF (State Disaster Response Force),
ITBP (Indo Tibetan Police Force) Sikkim Police are rescuing and evacuating locals and tourists from different and difficult locations of Sikkim. The rescue and relief operations are taking place amid bad weather conditions and hostile terrain.

Also Read : 3 member family from Nalbari in Assam missing in Sikkim

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