[1/5]People shovel mud from a flood-damaged house in Teesta Bazar, Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India, October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Birat Rai Obtaining licensing rights
KOLKATA, India, October 7 (Reuters) – Indian rescue teams are finding it difficult to reach flood-hit areas in the northeastern state of Sikkim, where more than 140 people are missing, because the area is still witnessing bouts of heavy rain, officials said. on saturday.
Lake Lunak burst its banks on Wednesday after a cloudburst brought heavy rains and an apparent avalanche, causing major flooding in the Teesta River.
“We are waiting for the weather conditions to improve, and only then will the air force and other rescue teams be able to enter the flood-affected areas,” said VP Pathak, state chief secretary.
The death toll rose to 44, two more than on Friday, according to a government official overseeing rescue operations from Gangtok, the state capital.
Hundreds of search and rescue personnel were deployed across Sikkim and in the northern parts of neighboring West Bengal. Areas near the river remain on high alert. Among the missing are fifteen army personnel.
About 2,000 tourists gathered in Lachung, Lachin and Chungthong areas in north Sikkim are safe, and the army has provided satellite phones so they can communicate with their families, another official said.
At least 13 bridges were washed away, hampering rescue operations. All bridges under the NHPC (NHPC.NS) Teesta-V hydropower station were submerged or washed away.
A major highway linking Sikkim with Siliguri in West Bengal also collapsed due to floods.
Bandana Chhetri, spokeswoman for the state tourism department, said local lawmakers are examining whether trekking routes can be used to reach the affected areas.
The floods were one of the region’s worst disasters in more than 50 years and the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have caused widespread damage in the Himalayas of south Asia, which scientists say is due to climate change.
Sikkim, a small Buddhist nation located between Nepal, Bhutan and China, is home to about 650,000 people.
Subrata Nag Chowdhury reports. Writing by Rupam Jain. Edited by Edwina Gibbs
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
“Internet practitioner. Social media maven. Certified zombieaholic. Lifelong communicator.”