Flooding in India leaves 79 dead and 140 missing

October 07, 2023 08:14 PM

The death toll from a flood that took place Wednesday after a lake in northeastern India breached its dam has risen to 79 people as of Saturday.

The glacier lake of Lhonak overflowed as a result of rains in the region, and the burst dam led to the Teesta River overflowing. Saturday’s report on the death toll was up two from the day before.

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India Sikkim Floods — A villager assists in transporting essential commodities through a cable trolley to the other side of Teesta river for people marooned in flash floods in Priding village, Sikkim, India, Saturday, Oct. 7. 2023. Rescuers found more bodies overnight as they dug through slushy debris and ice-cold water in a hunt for survivors after a glacial lake burst through a dam in India’s Himalayan northeast, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands to flee. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

“Deeply pained by the tragic loss of precious lives including eight Army personnel in the recent flash floods arising out of glacial lake burst in Sikkim,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten. Search operations to rescue the remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway.”

Deeply pained by the tragic loss of precious lives including eight Army personnel in the recent flash floods arising out of glacial lake burst in Sikkim.

Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their…

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 7, 2023

Some 13 bridges have been washed away in the flooding. This has further complicated the rescue effort as 140 are reported missing. The ice-cold water is also hampering rescue efforts. A highway has also collapsed.

The state of Sikkim, the site of the flooding, is between Nepal, China, and Bhutan. Some 650,000 live there and thousands have fled the area.

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“We are waiting for weather conditions to improve as only then Air Force and other rescue teams could venture into the flood-hit areas,” state chief secretary V.B. Pathak said.

This is the worst natural disaster to strike the region in over 50 years.