Sikkim Flash Floods: As many as 23 Army jawans have gone missing after flash floods following cloud burst in Sikkim on Wednesday morning. After the flood, roads and bridges have also been washed away in many areas.
The contact with the missing Army personnel were lost on Tuesday night, officials said. Due to the sudden floods, roads and bridges have also suffered a lot.
According to the information, this flood occurred due to sudden cloud burst on Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. Owing to which, the water level in Teesta suddenly increased. The situation worsened due to the release of water from the Chungthang Dam, causing the water level downstream to rise by 15-20 feet.
23 army personnel have been reported missing due to a flash flood that occurred in Teesta River in Lachen Valley after a sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim: Defence PRO, Guwahati https://t.co/zDabUMrCaI pic.twitter.com/uWVO1nsT2T
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Operation continues to search for missing soldiers
According to the information, army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam were washed away in the strong flood waters. The authorities have launched several search operations are underway to locate the missing personnel.
The flash floods also damaged several military installations in the Lachen Valley. Efforts are being made to assess the full extent of the damage.
The Singtham foot bridge built on the Teesta river collapsed due to the spate of the river. Jalpaiguri administration in West Bengal has started evacuating people from the lower catchment area of the river as a precautionary measure. The Sikkim government has issued a high alert in the state and asked people to stay away from the Teesta river.
