Of the 23 Army personnel who had gone missing from Bardang, the bodies of seven have been recovered from different areas downstream of Teesta, while one of them was rescued earlier, PTI reported. 

The flash flood in the Teesta river, triggered by a cloudburst in Lhonak Lake, caused the accumulation of a huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang dam, destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate, flooding towns and villages.

Here’s a 10-point update on Sikkim floods

1) The flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday, has affected over 25,000 people, damaged more than 1,200 houses, and washed away 13 bridges, bringing the picturesque Himalayan state to its knees.

2) So far, 2,413 people have been rescued from different areas and 6,875 people are taking shelter in 22 relief camps set up across the state, most of which have been cut off from the rest of the country, as per PTI reports. 

3) Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh for the families of the deceased and an immediate relief of ₹2,000 each for all those taking shelter in the camps.

4) Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the release of ₹44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to provide relief to the affected people.

5) The flood destroyed 13 bridges in the state, with eight bridges getting washed away in Mangan district alone. Three bridges were destroyed in Gangtok and two in Namchi.

6) Around 3,000 tourists stuck in North Sikkim could not be rescued as multiple attempts by the Air Force to send Mi-17 helicopters failed due to inclement weather, senior officials said as quoted by PTI. 

7) The Indian government was planning to begin the first early warning systems for glacial floods at Lhonak Lake and another at nearby Shako Cho in Sikkim, before expanding to other dangerous lakes. 

8) Roads and Bridges Minister Samdup Lepcha and DIG (North & East districts) Tashi Wangyal Bhutia reached Chungthang via Dzongu along with other officials on foot to take stock of the situation.

9) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that there are chances of light to moderate rain at most places in Mangan district over the next five days.

10) Lachen and Lachung are likely to remain cloudy during this period, it said. 

(With PTI inputs)

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Updated: 07 Oct 2023, 09:02 AM IST