Aishwarya Kumar, Pune
At least 14 people have died and 143 have gone missing in the flash floods that hit the state of Sikkim on Wednesday.
The situation was worsened by the opening and releasing of the water from the Chungthang Dam, which led to an increase in water levels from 15-20 feet downstream, said defense spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat in a media interaction with India TV News.
Towns surrounding the Teesta River, which includes Dikchu, Singtam, and Rangpo, have been flooded. The catastrophic floods washed away parts of National Highway 10, which connected the state with the rest of the nation. The officials have confirmed issuing an alert to the states of North Bengal and Bangladesh, through which the Teesta River flows.
Sikkim woke up to heavy floods on Wednesday. The situation worsened as the state received heavy rainfall throughout the night, which was magnified by a heavy downpour over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, causing the water levels in the Teesta River to increase.
Rescue operations are underway, and the Chief Minister has communicated via a post on social media platform X that the government and officials have taken hold of the situation and are doing their best to manage the calamity.
The Sikkim administration has also issued a high alert for residents. The flash floods have caused damage to public property. Residents shared videos of washed-away roads. The prime reason behind the sudden flash floods is assessed to be a combination of heavy rainfall and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) event at South Lhonak Lake in South Sikkim, said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
Additionally, the apex disaster management department has pointed out that nearly 25 lakes in Sikkim are assessed to be at high risk.