Sikkim Floods: All You Need To Know (Image: twitter.com/DesertScorpion)

At least 19 people were killed and over 100 remains missing after a cloudburst caused an overflow in a glacial Sikkim lake on Wednesday.

Around 1 am in the morning, the South Lhonak glacial lake in the upper reaches of Sikkim burst its banks after a cloudburst and caused the Sikkim”s biggest hydropower project – the Teesta-III project in Chungthang to rose it”s water level in a dangerous manner. The dam breached its danger mark in a matter of six hours forcing the authorities an immediate release of the water and that led to a massive flooding in the downstream.

Several army vehicles, parked at Bardang near Singtam, were washed away and the water level in the Teesta river rose up to 15-20 feet. 23 army personnel were reported missing, and a massive search operation was launched.

1. 1. Death toll, as Mint reports, reached 19 while 103 people remains missing.
   2. Several towns, including Dikchu, Singtam, and Rangpo located in the Teesta basin are flooded. Road links to Gangtok have been cut off as sections of National Highway 10 have been washed away.
   3. Four of the 19 bodies were identified as ‘jawans’’, said the neighbouring West Bengal in a statement.
   4. Over 3,000 tourists are reported to be stranded in different parts of the state. Government issued travel advisory to tourist directing them to postpone their travel to a later date after the situation normalizes.
   5. As many as 14 bridges washed away, 8 bridges in Mangan district alone. Mobile networks and broadband connections disrupted.
   6. Water pipelines, sewage lines and 277 houses, both Kuchcha and concrete were destroyed.
   7. 2,011 people were rescued, while the calamity has affected almost 22,034 people, said Sikkim Disaster Management Authority in a statement.
   8. A relief camp has been set up for the people affected in the Teesta river basin. Essential supplies including rice, pulse, salt and milk were carried to the affected through air transport mode.
   9. All government, private schools, colleges, and universities in the state will remain shut till October 15.
   10. The Indian Air Force and Army helicopters were ready to fly to Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang, but restricted due to unfavourable weather condition, said Sikkim Chief Secretary Vijay Bhushan Pathak.

Watch | Fallen trees, debris, gushing sludge: Teesta Dam after #SikkimFloods pic.twitter.com/M3EvNJpnZb

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 5, 2023