Difficulty in relief and rescue operations due to broken roads, search for missing soldiers continues
New Delhi. A cloudburst in South Lhonak Lake of North Sikkim caused a terrible surge in the Teesta river late on Tuesday night. A wave 15 to 20 feet high came and caused havoc on the shore. Roads and bridges along the Teesta in three districts of Sikkim, Mangan, Gangtok and Pakyong, were badly damaged. 23 army men are missing. There has been news of death of two civilians. Information about the injured and those who died is being collected.
State Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has taken stock of the situation. Officials present at the spot said that the flood started around 1.30 am. Giving information, Defense PRO of Guwahati said that due to sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, there was flood in Teesta River of Lachen Valley. Some army personnel have been affected in the valley. 23 soldiers are reported missing and some vehicles of the soldiers are reported drowned in the mud. The search operation is still going on.
Indian Army has informed that 23 soldiers and officers are missing from Bardang Cantonment between Singtam and Rangpo. Search for him is going on. A large number of army vehicles were parked in Bardang. Many of those vehicles have been washed away. A portion of National Highway 10 was washed away in Milli. Many roads are closed. Officials and employees of the hydropower project in Sirwani are also reported missing. Sikkim government ministers and officials have reached the area for relief and rescue operations.
According to the information received, due to sudden flood late at night, people did not get a chance to recover. The death toll is expected to increase. Due to breakdown of many roads including the National Highway, relief and rescue operations are not going on properly. NDRF teams are also leaving from Siliguri. Let us tell you that Tista river flows from Sikkim to Darjeeling-Jalpaiguri in Bengal. In view of the possibility of flood, people have been safely evacuated from the river bank area in Jalpaiguri.
