Sikkim flash floods updates | Schools, colleges to remain shut till Oct 15 as toll rises to 14, over 100 missing

An Army jawan from Odisha who was missing in Sikkim flash floods along with 22 other army personnel was found dead on Thursday, family members said.

Saroj Kumar Das, a resident of Kendudhipa village of Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, was at the Army camp when a sudden cloud burst triggered flash flood in Teesta river in North Sikkim on early hours of Wednesday.

“The army officials sent me pictures of five bodies recovered from the flood-hit area. I identified my brother Saroj among them,” Manoj said.

- PTI

An Army jawan from Odisha who was missing in Sikkim flash floods was found dead on Thursday, family members said.

Saroj Kumar Das, a resident of Kendudhipa village of Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, was at the Army camp when a sudden cloudburst triggered flash flood in Teesta river in North Sikkim on early hours of Wednesday.

Since then, he was missing. Manoj, the elder brother of Saroj, got a call from army authorities this afternoon to identify his brother from five bodies recovered from the flood-hit area.

“The army officials sent me pictures of five bodies recovered from the flood-hit area. I identified my brother Saroj among them,” Manoj said.

A pall of gloom descended on the Kendudhipa village following the death of Saroj.

After getting information, Dhenkanal Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi visited the bereaved family to pay condolences.

“Family members have informed us that the mortal remains of Saroj will reach the village on Friday. His last rites will be performed with full state honour. The state government will also provide ex-gratia as per norms to his family,” Sethi told reporters.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the sad demise of the army jawan Saroj and paid condolences to his family. - PTI

As a flash flood left a trail of destruction in Sikkim, the government on Thursday urged people, who planned to visit the Himalayan State soon, to postpone their programmes till the situation normalises.

The State administration also requested those stranded in the flood-hit Mangan district not to panic as the authorities concerned would start an evacuation process from Friday.

According to estimates, over 3,000 tourists, including foreigners, are stuck in various parts of Sikkim.

“In view of the unprecedented situation created by flooding in Teesta river, all the tourists planning to visit Sikkim are advised to postpone their travel to a later date till the situation normalises,” the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department said in an advisory.

- PTI

Search and rescue efforts are continuing to locate the 22 missing soldiers in Sikkim, and the family members of the missing soldiers have been contacted and informed about the situation, the Defence Spokesperson in Guwahati said on Thursday.

“Continued efforts are on to dig out the vehicles submerged under the slush at Burdang near Singtam. The search for the missing persons now focuses on the areas downstream of Teesta River, the Spokesperson said in a statement. Of the 23 soldiers initially missing, one was recovered alive on Wednesday evening.

“All other Indian Army personnel posted in Sikkim and North Bengal are safe, and they are unable to contact their family members due to disruptions of mobile communication,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, troops are extending medical aid and telephone connectivity to civilians and tourists stranded in the areas of Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen in North Sikkim, the Spokesperson added.

All government and private schools, colleges and universities in Sikkim will remain closed till October 15 due to the prevalence of inclement weather, according to a revised circular by the State Education Department on Thursday.

The circular comes within hours of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s directive for the closure of schools, colleges and universities in Sikkim till further notice due to the unprecedented disaster caused by flash floods in the Teesta river basin.

- PTI

Army and NDRF search teams continued to work their way through the slush in the Teesta basin and downstream north Bengal for a second day in search of people who were swept away by a flash flood, officials said on Thursday.

Fourteen bodies have been found so far while 102 people, including 22 Army personnel, remained missing after a cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said.

- PTI

Several occasions in the last two decades have seen government agencies and research studies warning about potential glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in Sikkim, which can cause massive damage to life and property.

A GLOF occurred in parts of Lhonak Lake, leading to a rapid rise in water levels with very high velocities downstream along the Teesta River Basin in the early hours of October 4. This resulted in severe damage in Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi districts.

GLOFs occur when lakes formed by melting glaciers suddenly burst open. This can happen due to various reasons, such as excessive water accumulation in the lake or triggers like earthquakes.

- PTI

Defence Ministry says the search for the missing persons is now focussing in the areas downstream of Teesta River. Continued efforts are on to dig out the vehicles submerged under the slush at Burdang near Singtam. Out of 23 troops initially missing, one soldier was recovered alive on October 4 evening, the Ministry’s spokesperson said.

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 State government has set up 26 relief camps in the four affected districts, it 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. -PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday voiced concern over the situation in Sikkim and urged the Centre to declare both the Sikkim flash floods and Himachal Pradesh floods as national disasters.

He also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Sikkim flash floods.

The situation in Sikkim is precarious as several people have lost their lives and many, including our brave Army personnel, are missing due to cloudburst and flash floods, he said.

According to the Defence Spokesperson, Guwahati, 23 Army personnel are reportedly missing and some vehicles submerged under slush at Bardang near Singtam after a flash flood in the Teesta River in Lachen valley caused due to sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. Search operations are underway.

- Dinakar Peri

Manufacturing operations at drugmaker Alembic Pharmaceuticals facility in Sikkim have been disrupted in the wake of flash floods.

The Sikkim Government on Wednesday confirmed that 14 people have died so far in the flash floods that occurred in Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday. The 14 deceased are all civilians while 102 people are still missing. -ANI

Bhutan’s Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji on Wednesday expressed condolences to families that have lost their loved ones in the Sikkim flash flood.

”My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the flash flood in Sikkim. It is a real tragedy and we offer our prayers for strength, support to those affected and quick recovery from the calamity,” the Bhutanese Foreign Minister wrote on ‘X’ on Wednesday. -ANI

The cloudburst in North Sikkim and subsequent release of water resulted in an outburst in Lake Lhonak and a major breach in Chungthang dam. After that, more than 8000 cubic metres per second of water has been released from the Teesta barrage which has resulted in flood-like situations in the downstream districts of Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, a press release about the flood situation in West Bengal stated. -ANI

The devastation and loss of lives due to a flash flood in the Lachen valley caused by a cloudburst in Sikkim’s Lhonak Lake is distressing, President Droupadi Murmu said on Wednesday.

It also caused extensive damage to some army establishments with personnel of the army missing in the floods, she said in a late-night post on X.

“I pray for the safety of all missing persons and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” Ms. Murmu said. -PTI

The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday expressed his solidarity with the people of Sikkim in the wake of flash floods claiming at least ten lives. -PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday prayed for the well-being of the army personnel who went missing in Sikkim after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the Teesta river.

Mr. Singh described the glacial lake burst at Lonak in Sikkim as “deeply heart-wrenching” and said relief and rescue operations in the area are in progress amidst extremely bad weather. -PTI