Sikkim warns of stray explosives after flood hits ammunition depot

The Sikkim government on Thursday warned against the presence of explosives and ammunition along the banks of the Teesta river, after an ammunition depot of the army in the northern part of the state was hit by flash floods a day earlier.

In an advisory, the state land revenue and disaster management department said any ammunition or explosive found along the river banks should not be picked up since they may explode and cause injuries.

“The local population are hereby warned that explosives or ammunition may be found along the Teesta Basin. These ammunition should not be handled or picked up since they may explode and cause grievous injuries,” the advisory said.

According to an official of the disaster management department, the advisory was issued following a request from the army.

“A request was received from the army that an advisory should be sent out to the citizens as an army depot in north Sikkim, around Chungthang area, was also affected in the flood,” the official said, seeking anonymity.

The local police administration has also been alerted about the presence of possible explosives or ammunition along the river bank, the official added.

Meanwhile, P K Barma, Trinamool Congress legislator from Jalpaiguri said a seven-year-old boy identified as Sahinur Alam died in an explosion when he and some people tried to disassemble a mortar they found along Teesta river on Thursday . “The boy died on the spot while five others were injured,” Barma said.

At least 18 people were killed and over a hundred went missing in a remote region of Sikkim on Wednesday as a glacial lake overflowed after torrential showers, triggering flash floods down the Teesta that washed away homes and highways, and smashed through a crucial dam that powers the region.