TOLL RISES TO 32 IN SIKKIM FLASH FLOOD

Thirty-two bodies, including those of nine Armymen, have been recovered so far from the slush and debris of the flash flood in the Teesta river that devastated Sikkim, while the search continued for the over 100 people who are still missing, officials said on Sunday.

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The flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday, has affected 41,870 people. So far, 2,563 people have been rescued from different areas of the state, most of which have been cut off from the rest of the country, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).

Search was underway for 122 people who are still missing. Seventy-eight people are missing in Pakyong district, 23 in Gangtok district, 15 in Mangan and six in Namchi, it said.

Special radars, drones and Army dogs have been deployed for the search operations, officials said.