Sikkim flash floods: 14 dead, 22 jawans among 102 missing; 3,000 tourists stranded
Flash floods in Sikkim, caused by a sudden cloudburst and the release of water from Chungthang dam, resulted in at least 14 fatalities. As many as 102 people, including 22 armyv personnel, went missing following the calamity.
At least 14 people have died while 102 others, including 22 army personnel, went missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered flash floods in the Teesta River basin on Wednesday. Officials told news agency PTI that one of the 23 army men who had gone missing was rescued later.
So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.
Listen to Story
Share
ADVERTISEMENT

Images show the aftermath of flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: India Today)
Gangtok,UPDATED: Oct 5, 2023 16:55 IST
At least 14 people have died while 102 others, including 22 army personnel, went missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered flash floods in the Teesta River basin on Wednesday. Officials told news agency PTI that one of the 23 army men who had gone missing was rescued later.
So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to take stock of the situation in the state and assured him of all possible support. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also prayed for the well-being of the missing army personnel.
The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity had been declared as a disaster.
14 DEAD IN SIKKIM FLASH FLOODS
Over 3,000 tourists from various parts of the country were reported to be stranded in different parts of Sikkim, as the flood situation in the state worsened at nearly 1.30 am on Wednesday, with the release of water from Chungthang dam. Several workers employed with the Teesta Stage III dam in Chungthang were also stranded in tunnels of the dam.
The state government set up 26 relief camps in four affected districts. A total of 1,025 people took shelter in the eight relief camps in Gangtok district, while the number of inmates at the 18 other relief camps was not available immediately.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang visited Singtam, one of the worst affected areas, and took stock of the situation. He urged the people to stay alert and take shelter in safe locations and assured that the government is making all necessary arrangements for their rehabilitation.
The flash flood in the Teesta River caused an accumulation of a huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam, destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and villages. Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were pressed in for rescue and relief operations. Efforts were also underway to dig out vehicles submerged under the slush. Assessing the infrastructural damage in the state, Sikkim Chief Secretary said 14 bridges collapsed, with nine of them being under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and five others belonging to the state government. Chungthang town bore the maximum brunt of the flood with 80 per cent of it being severely affected. Parts of National Highway-10, the main link between Sikkim and the rest of the country, were washed away, while a flood alert was issued for North Bengal and Bangladesh through which the Teesta River flows. Several towns, including Dikchu, Singtam and Rangpo, located in the Teesta basin, were flooded with the upsurge in the river. A notification by the education department said that all schools located in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi districts will remain closed till October 8.
Commenting on the situation, Sikkim MLA GT Dhungel told Reuters that petrol and diesel had already become scarce in the capital Gangtok but food was easily available. To deal with the shortage of ration and other essentials in Sikkim, the state government decided to construct Bailey Bridge with help from the Army and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
to Story
Share
ADVERTISEMENT

Images show the aftermath of flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: India Today)
Gangtok,UPDATED: Oct 5, 2023 16:55 IST
At least 14 people have died while 102 others, including 22 army personnel, went missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered flash floods in the Teesta River basin on Wednesday. Officials told news agency PTI that one of the 23 army men who had gone missing was rescued later.
So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to take stock of the situation in the state and assured him of all possible support. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also prayed for the well-being of the missing army personnel.
The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity had been declared as a disaster.
14 DEAD IN SIKKIM FLASH FLOODS
Over 3,000 tourists from various parts of the country were reported to be stranded in different parts of Sikkim, as the flood situation in the state worsened at nearly 1.30 am on Wednesday, with the release of water from Chungthang dam. Several workers employed with the Teesta Stage III dam in Chungthang were also stranded in tunnels of the dam.

Rescue operations underway after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: India Today)
The state government set up 26 relief camps in four affected districts. A total of 1,025 people took shelter in the eight relief camps in Gangtok district, while the number of inmates at the 18 other relief camps was not available immediately.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang visited Singtam, one of the worst affected areas, and took stock of the situation. He urged the people to stay alert and take shelter in safe locations and assured that the government is making all necessary arrangements for their rehabilitation.

Buildings inundated following flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: AP)
The flash flood in the Teesta River caused an accumulation of a huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam, destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and villages.

Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV and app controls) | HD streaming device
₹ 2199

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Intel Core i3 11th Gen 15.6" (39.6cm) FHD Thin and Light Laptop (4GB RAM/256GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/FPR/Black/Black/1.7 kg), 20TDS0DX00
₹ 50000

(Refurbished) Canon EOS 200D II 24.1MP Digital SLR Camera + EF-S 18-55mm f4 is STM Lens (Black)
₹ 49999

Zotac Gaming GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge LHR GDDR6 8GB 256bit PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card with IceStorm 2.0 Cooling, 1665Mhz Boost Clock & 5 Years Warranty (3 Years Warranty + 2 Years Extended Warranty)
₹ 49999
Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were pressed in for rescue and relief operations. Efforts were also underway to dig out vehicles submerged under the slush.

Image shows Army vehicles submerged in mud following flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: India Today)
Assessing the infrastructural damage in the state, Sikkim Chief Secretary said 14 bridges collapsed, with nine of them being under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and five others belonging to the state government. Chungthang town bore the maximum brunt of the flood with 80 per cent of it being severely affected.

Search underway for locals and tourists missing following the flash floods in Sikkim (Credits: India Today)
Parts of National Highway-10, the main link between Sikkim and the rest of the country, were washed away, while a flood alert was issued for North Bengal and Bangladesh through which the Teesta River flows.

North Sikkim: A portion of a road washed away after a cloudburst near Lhonak Lake (PTI Photo)
Several towns, including Dikchu, Singtam and Rangpo, located in the Teesta basin, were flooded with the upsurge in the river. A notification by the education department said that all schools located in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi districts will remain closed till October 8.
Commenting on the situation, Sikkim MLA GT Dhungel told Reuters that petrol and diesel had already become scarce in the capital Gangtok but food was easily available. To deal with the shortage of ration and other essentials in Sikkim, the state government decided to construct Bailey Bridge with help from the Army and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

North Sikkim: Waterlogging after a cloudburst near Lhonak Lake (PTI Photo)
As the search and rescue operations continued, the Indian Army extended medical aid and telephone connectivity to tourists and locals stranded in different parts of the state.
The Indian Army also issued some helpline numbers in the wake of flash floods in Sikkim.
Army Helpline for East Sikkim - 8756991895
Army Helpline No for North Sikkim - 8750887741
Army Helpline for missing persons - 7588302011
On Wednesday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the possible cause of the flash floods in Sikkim could be a combination of excess rainfall and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) event at South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. The NDMA also said the Himalayan ranges are host to many glacial lakes, estimated through remote sensing techniques at about 7,500 and of these, Sikkim has around 10 per cent of which nearly 25 are assessed to be at-risk.
Satellite imagery showed that nearly two-thirds of the lake seems to have been drained. According to the weather department, landslides and disruption to flights could be expected as more rain was on the forecast over the next two days in parts of Sikkim and neighbouring states.
The main highway connecting Sikkim to Siliguri in West Bengal was also washed away.
The National Remote Sensing Centre, one of the Isro centres, also conducted a satellite-based study on the outburst of the South Lhonak lake in Sikkim by obtaining temporal satellite images (before & after) over the water body.
The space agency said it will continue monitoring the lake further using satellite data.
0 Comments