Northeast Desk, 5th October: The Sikkim Government on October 4 confirmed a tragic incident involving flash floods that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. These floods have resulted in the unfortunate loss of 14 civilian lives, while 102 people remain missing.
The devastating floods have left over 3,000 tourists stranded across the State and have trapped 12-14 workers in the tunnels of the Teesta Stage 3 dam in Chungthang. Reports of injuries and missing individuals have emerged from various areas, including Chungthang in Mangan district, Dikchu, Singtam in Gangtok district, and Rangpo in Pakyong district.
According to Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak, the calamity was triggered by a cloud burst at Lhonak lake on Tuesday night. This event led to the lake breaching its embankment, causing a significant increase in water levels within the Teesta basin. Notably, the Teesta Stage 3 dam in Chungthang was breached due to this disaster.
In response to this crisis, the State government has obtained approval from the Central government for the deployment of three additional platoons of the National Disaster Response Force. This supplements the one platoon that was already in service in Rangpo and Singtam.
Meanwhile, State officials are anticipating ration shortages, and efforts are underway to address this issue. Supplies from Siliguri will be facilitated, and Bailey bridges are set to be established by the Indian Army and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), as communicated by the State Chief Secretary.