NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: Five persons died and 23 army personnel were washed away on Wednesday after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim resulted in a flash flood in the Teesta River basin, which was aggravated by the release of water from a dam, officials said.
A defence ministry statement said the flash flood occurred in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley due to a sudden cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim.
The flood that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungthang dam, they said.
"Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region, while three persons were rescued from Golitar, "Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said.
"A steel bridge at Singtam, known as Indreni bridge, 30kms from the state capital Gangtok has been completely washed away by Teesta river water early Wednesday," another official said.
The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity has been declared as a disaster.
The release of water from the Chungthang dam led to a sudden increase in water levels up to 15-20 feet high downstream, defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.
"Twenty-three Army personnel have been reported missing and 41 vehicles submerged under the slush," he said.
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Chief Minister P S Tamang visited Singtam and took stock of the situation.
He also held a meeting with senior officials at the Singtam Nagar Panchayat office and asked them to keep vigil.
In a post on social media, Tamang said his thoughts and prayers are with all during this difficult hour.
"In these challenging times, I want to extend my heartfelt support to all the victims and their families affected by this unfortunate event," he 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. Our dedicated teams are working day and night to address the immediate concerns and challenges posed by this calamity," Tamang said.
The release of water from the Chungthang dam led to a sudden increase in water levels up to 15-20 feet high downstream, they said. This has led to army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam getting affected, Defence spokesperson Lt. Col Mahendra Rawat said.
Border Road Organisation (BRO) has already launched rescue operations and 80 locals have been safely evacuated so far, the defence officials said.
A steel bridge at Singtam, also known as Indreni bridge, in Gangtok district has been completely washed away by Teesta river water early on Wednesday.
Earlier the Meteorological Office Jalpai had alerted of the “lake outburst at Chungthang, North Sikkim '' which led to constant rise in water levels.
“A Lake of North Sikkim burst a few hours ago causing concern in the catchment of River Teesta. Low-lying areas such as Gazoldoba, Domohani, Mekhaliganj, Ghish, Bangladesh area may be affected. Please be alert.” It said.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to people in the state's northern reaches to "maintain maximal vigil" and assured that "all steps have been taken to evacuate people in the districts of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri to safer places".
Deeply concerned on getting the news of 23 soldiers missing after a flash flood in Sikkim which followed a cloudburst in the region. While expressing solidarity and promise of assistance from our government side if sought on this matter, I also urge all concerned in North Bengal…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 4, 2023
(With inputs from PTI)