Sikkim flash floods: 14 dead, over 100 missing, 3,000 tourists stranded

Thursday, October 5, 2023

One of the 23 missing army men is among the rescued in Sikkim flash floods.

Temporary relief camps have been set up to provide aid and shelter to the people.

The death toll in Sikkim flash floods has risen to 14 while more than 100 people are missing, the state government confirmed Thursday.

22 army personnel are also among the 102 missing people while 26 remain injured and are seeking treatment following the disaster, triggered by cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim.

Among the individuals who are missing or injured in the aftermath of the disaster, scores of residents belong to Chungthang in Mangan district, as well as from Dikchu and Singtam in Gangtok district, and Rangpo in Pakyong district.

The intense rainfall has caused extensive damage, with over 150 houses in the Industrial Belt (IBM) at Rangpo, located along the banks of the river Teesta, being affected.

The State government has set up 18 relief camps in Singtam, Rangpo, Dikchu and Adarsh Gaon which have faced most of the damages.

In Chungthang, the relief camps are being set up by the Indian Army due to the lack of connectivity.

As per the government, a total of 14 bridges have collapsed in the incident. Among these, nine were managed by the Border Roads Organization (BRO), while the remaining five were the responsibility of the state government.

The National Highway-10, which connects Gangtok to Siliguri, has been entirely washed away near the Likhuvir-Setijhora stretch. Once the water levels in the Teesta River subside, urgent repair work will be carried out.

While the emergency services were mobilised to the affected areas, chief minister Prem Singh Tamang has advised the public to refrain from unnecessary travel at the moment.

Meanwhile, the Sikkim government has also issued helpline numbers for assistance.

In a post shared on the social media, the government urged the citizens to contact the following helpline numbers for any assistance:

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