Flash flood: ITBP rescues 56 people in North Sikkim's Chungthang, search continues for 81 missing

PTI

Gangtok/Guwahati, October 8

Fifty-six people were rescued in North Sikkim’s Chungthang, one of the worst affected areas in the flash flood, the ITBP said on Sunday.

Among those rescued were 52 men and four women, it said.

“In another rescue operation, 56 civilians (52 Male & 4 Female) were successfully rescued via the ropeway made by the ITBP Rescue Team in Chungthang, North Sikkim,” it tweeted.

The search for the 81 people who went missing in the flash flood continued. So far, 30 bodies have been found, officials said.

The flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the calamity as a population of around 30,300 was hit by the disaster, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).

The other three affected districts are Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.

Nineteen of the deaths were reported from Pakyong, six from Gangtok district, four from Mangan, and one from Namchi, the SSDMA said.

Special radar, drones and Army dogs have been deployed for the search operations, officials said.

So far, 2,563 people have been rescued from different areas and 6,875 people have taken shelter in 30 relief camps set up across the state, most of which have been cut off from the rest of the country.

The deluge also damaged more than 1,320 houses and washed away 13 bridges in the four districts of the picturesque Himalayan state.

More than 3,000 tourists stranded in Lachen and Lachung in Mangan district are safe, officials said.

In Guwahati, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa said on Sunday that an Indian Army personnel of Assam, who went missing following the flash flood, has been confirmed dead.

“A tragic loss for Assam as it loses a braveheart in Mitul Kalita of Indian Army, from Baksa District, in the unfortunate flash flood in Sikkim,” Sarma said on X.

Nine army men have been killed in the Sikkim flash flood, which was triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday.

Kalita served in the technical department of the army in Alipurduar.

“My prayers for the departed soul & condolences to the bereaved family in this hour of grief,” Sarma said.

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