Sikkim Floods Claim 30 Lives While Rescue Team Finds 62 Missing People

Four more dead were discovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll from the Sikkim flash floods to 30, and 62 persons who had been reported missing earlier were found alive. An inter-ministerial team from the central government will visit the state to survey the damage.

SSDMA publishes bulletin

According to the most recent bulletin published by the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) on Saturday night, there are currently 81 individuals missing, for whom search efforts are under way. In the early hours of Wednesday, a cloudburst caused a flash flood that affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the tragedy with an estimated 30,300 people affected, it added. The three other districts that are impacted are Gangtok, Pakyang, and Namchi. Of the 30 fatalities, 19 occurred in Pakyong, four in Namchi, six in the Gangtok area, and four in Mangan. Nine soldiers were among the 19 individuals who died in Pakyong, according to the report. On October 3, 23 troops went missing; one of them had already been found.

Search operations being run by Army in Sikkim after floods hit the area hard

The Army is still looking for the other missing individuals. Army Dogs, drones, and specialized radar have all been used for the task. Officials said that 15 of the 39 army vehicles that had also gone missing on that day had so far been found in several feet of slush. A delegation made up of top officers from the ministries of agriculture, road transportation and highways, water resources, energy, and finance will visit the northeastern state starting on Sunday to survey the damage brought on by the flash flood, according to Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra.

“The team will visit Sikkim from tomorrow to take stock of the ground situation, assess the extent of damage and provide assistance wherever necessary,” the union minister of state for home affairs told reporters here. Mishra requested that the state government authorities create both short- and long-term strategies in order to efficiently complete the task of quickly rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure.

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Rs. 44.8 Cr transferred to State Disaster Response Fund

The transfer of Rs.44.8 crore as an advance payment from the federal share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim has been authorized by the Center in order to assist those impacted by the recent flash floods. On Saturday, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang traveled to north Sikkim’s disaster-affected areas and examined the infrastructure that had been devastated.

Additionally, he presided over a gathering of the Toong Naga Gram Panchayat Unit’s Zilla and Ward Members, together with GREF, BRO, and officials from related departments. It was determined at the conference to start planning a road route right away for the delivery of relief supplies. The chief minister went to the location of the destroyed Sankalan bridge (Dzongu). He added that a zip line has been installed with the assistance of the locals for speedy transportation of groceries and other essential amenities towards Dzongu, which is currently completely cut off, and that a 55-meter-long Bailey bridge over the Sankalan river will be built soon to restore vehicular movement between Dzongu and Mangane.

Using a hanging harness, pulley, or handle, a person or object can slide down a cable or rope that is strung between two points that are different heights. Due to damage to the road’s surface and numerous Teesta River bridges, National Highway 10, Sikkim’s lifeblood, is now impassable. The segment between Rangpo and Singtam is now being opened up and widened.

East Sikkim offers an alternative route to the state capital Gangtok, while there are further routes to West and South Sikkim. However, highways past Mangan are currently blocked in North Sikkim. Tamang also paid a visit to an ITI Chadey relief camp housing 32 families from the impacted districts.