Frantic rescue operation on as Sikkim counts the cost

The death toll in the flash floods that tore through Sikkim and parts of West Bengal rose to 18 on Thursday, and 98 people, including 22 army personnel, were still missing, according to officials who said rescue teams were mounting frenetic operations amid cut-off roads, uprooted bridges, interrupted communication, and heavy rainfall.

Read here: Sikkim flash floods: 18 people dead, over 90 missing; rescue ops underway | Top updates

On Wednesday, the river Teesta that flows through Sikkim ripped through large swathes of the hill state due to a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in Lhonak lake. The worst-hit districts were nearly snapped from the rest of the country, with the raging waters knocking out access as well as communications, after cleaving through a hydroelectric dam.

The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) in a bulletin on Thursday said 22,034 people were affected, and that over the last 24 hours, 2,011 people were been rescued. The state government has thus far set up 26 relief camps and there were 1,025 people in eight camps in Gangtok alone.

Eighteen bodies have been recovered, and 98 people were still missing, chief secretary VB Pathak said on Thursday evening.

State officials said the toll was likely to rise, with rescuers still to remove debris from fallen houses. Tashi Chopel, the district collector of Pakyong, one of the worst hit, said: “More bodies are being recovered. But it is difficult to give details right now.”

The first images that emerged on Thursday suggested devastation was far-reaching, with the true picture unlikely to have been reflected in numbers released. At several locations, the river banks were indiscernible with a blanket of debris spread over it as well as where the water flowed. Several houses had collapsed, multiple others inland were inundated and dozens of vehicles were seen washed downstream or buried under silt.

It was in Pakyong that 58 people, including 23 Army personnel, went missing, and of them, the bodies of four local residents were found on Wednesday. One army personnel was located alive on Wednesday night. “Search and rescue operation by troops of Trishakti Corps, Indian Army to trace the 22 missing soldiers continues. Continued efforts are on to dig out vehicles submerged under the slush at Burdang near Singtam. The search for the missing persons is now focusing in areas downstream of Teesta River,” the army said.

The army added that while all other personnel posted in Sikkim and North Bengal were safe, they were unable to contact their families due to disruptions in mobile communication networks.

The Sikkim government also issued a warning to citizens that explosives and ammunition may be strewn along the banks of the Teesta since the floods swept up an ammunition depot of the Indian Army. “These ammunitions should not be handled or picked up since they may explode and cause grievous injuries,” the advisory by the Sikkim land revenue and disaster management department said.

A seven-year-old boy, identified as Sahinur Alam, reportedly died in an explosion when he and some locals tried to disassemble an Army mortar they found on the banks of the river on Thursday evening.

“These people found four live mortars. The boy died on the spot while five people, of whom two were injured critically, were rushed to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri,” said PK Barma, the Trinamool Congress legislator from Jalpaiguri constituency.

There was also extensive damage to the town of Chungthang, including to the 1,200 MW Teesta Urja, Sikkim’s largest hydroelectric dam that has been cleaved through the middle.

Officials said at least 50 homes were destroyed. Chungthang will be the focus of a rescue operation on Friday by a 60-member team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), which will leave Bagdogra in an Air Force helicopter at 6 am to attempt the rescue of around a dozen people trapped in a tunnel. With collapsed power lines, destroyed bridges and wrecked roads, Chungthang has been cut off from the rest of the state.

After heavy rain on Wednesday, the weather let up. “IMD has predicted decent weather for Friday so at first light, our rescuers will board the IAF chopper to reach a helipad in Chungtang,” one official involved in the rescue operation said.

The National Highway 10, which that runs from XXX to XXX, and connects Sikkim to the rest of the country, was snapped at several points in Sikkim and Bengal, stranding around 3,000 tourists at popular destinations like Lachen and Lachung in Mangan district. HK Chhetri, district collector of Mangan, said the tourists were all safe.

Chief secretary Pathak said evacuation of tourists was a priority and they would be airlifted to Mangan town, from where they will be transported by road. “If the weather holds up well, they will be evacuated beginning tomorrow,” he said, adding that while choppers from the Indian Air Force and the Army were prepped to fly on Thursday itself, they were prevented by weather.

Read here: Ignored red flags triggered flash floods in Sikkim

Chief minister Prem Singh Tamang visited Singtam, another badly affected area, and urged people to take shelter in safe locations. In an emergency meeting at the Singtam Community Centre, Tamang said: “I want to assure you that the government is fully committed to providing all necessary assistance and relief to those in need. We understand the magnitude of the situation and are mobilizing all available resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens.”

Across the border in West Bengal, while no lives were lost, there was severe damage in Melli, Teesta Bazar, 29 Mile and Ghel Khola in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. Rita Sunuwar, a supervisor at the Teesta Low Dam Project IV at Kalijhora said, “The water level started increasing at 5 am on Wednesday and we saw many vehicles being swept away by the Teesta.”