SIKKIM FLASH FLOOD: 14 DIE, 102 MISSING AS SEARCH CONTINUES

Fourteen bodies have been found so far, while 102 people, including 22 Army personnel, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said on Thursday.

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So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity that happened on Wednesday affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin. The search for the 22 missing soldiers was continuing with a focus on the downstream areas as the fast-flowing river is likely to have  carried them to the lower reaches, officials said.

The state government has set up 26 relief camps in the four affected districts, the SSDMA said. A total of 1,025 people are taking 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 them that the government was making all necessary arrangements for their rehabilitation.

After visiting the affected areas, Tamang also chaired an emergency meeting at the Singtam Community Centre.