The number of people killed in the flash flood in Sikkim has increased to 34, according to state officials in the state on Monday. The administration in neighbouring northern West Bengal reported that 40 bodies had been fished out from the downstream of Teesta River.
However, officials cautioned that despite the fact that West Bengal and Sikkim were communicating with one another about their respective rescue efforts, there may be some overlap in the numbers reported by the two states. Ten army jawans are among those who died, and efforts are being made to locate the remaining 105 people who are missing.
The first group of stranded tourists was airlifted from Lachen to Mangan in North Sikkim by the Indian Air Force, which has begun rescue and relief operations in the Himalayan state. Up to 77 tourists, including seven kids, were also flown from Lachung to the airport in Pakyong.
On Monday, Chief Secretary Pathak once more met with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) members and briefed them on the scope of the damage. Of the 34 deaths reported in Sikkim, Pakyong district reported the most number of deaths at 22, including 10 army personnel. Gangtok came in second at six fatalities, followed by Mangan at four, and Namchi at two.
Six days after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in Mangan district triggered an upsurge in the Teesta River, flooding several towns on the river basin across four districts in the Himalayan state, 105 people are still missing.
As per Sikkim State Disaster Management report, 63 of the missing people are from Pakyong, 20 are from Gangtok, 16 are from Mangan, and six are from Namchi.
As many as 3,432 houses, both kuccha and pucca, have been damaged. A total of 5,327 people have been rescued and evacuated. Altogether 14 bridges have been either washed out or submerged, affecting road communication in the state.
A total of 6,505 people have been rendered homeless by the flash flood and sheltered at 26 relief camps in four districts. The number of people affected by the flash flood stood at 85,870.
The Indian Air Force has started humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations in Sikkim, and rescued the first batch of stranded tourists from Lachen to Mangan aboard a helicopter, a Defence official said. It also carried emergency service personnel and essential supplies to Lachen.
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