India keeps looking for survivors following flash floods

Rescue teams have been continuing to search for over 100 missing people after flash floods occurred in the state of Sikkim in northeast India.

On Friday, officials said that at least 22 people have died, including seven soldiers.

The big floods happened because of a sudden heavy rainfall over a lake on the mountain this week.

The floods got worse when water was let out from a dam near the Teesta river.

It broke the power system at the Chungthang dam and then went down the river and flooded towns and villages.

Many search and rescue people have been sent to Sikkim and northern parts of West Bengal, which is lower in elevation. Places close to the river are being cautious.

Some army personnel, around 23, have been reported as missing. The Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang, said that they have found the bodies of seven people in various places downstream of the river. One soldier was saved and found alive earlier this week.

A sum of 103 individuals, counting 15 soldiers, are still not found, as per his statement.
Over 22,000 people have been impacted by the floods, and many are stuck in Lachen and Lachung in northern Sikkim. The floods have caused problems with mobile phone service in the area.

Mr Tamang said that the roads connecting different districts have been blocked and the bridges have been taken away by water.

The army said they were giving food and medical help to people. They were also helping civilians and tourists by helping them communicate with others. Rescue teams are also taking people who have been evacuated to places where they can receive help and support.

All schools and colleges in the state will be closed until 15 October because of bad weather.

On Tuesday night, because of a lot of rain, the Lhonak lake in the state broke its embankment. This caused the water level in the Teesta river in Lachen Valley to rise very quickly, which was worrying.

The flood got worse when water was let out from a dam close by into the river. A person from the military said that the water levels downstream suddenly went up very fast and got as high as 15 to 20 feet.

Pictures from space that Isro, India’s space agency, shared showed big changes in the amount of water in the lake.

On 28 September, the lake was 167. 4 hectares big, but by 4 October, it had become much smaller, just 60. 3
The floods destroyed many things, like roads and bridges.

The northern areas of West Bengal have been flooded by water from the Teesta river, affecting districts like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri.

According to officials, two people died and six others got hurt when a mortar shell, found in the river that was full, exploded in Jalpaiguri.

Sikkim, a place in the Himalayas, has a high risk of floods and other natural disasters. Last year, there was a lot of flooding in that area that forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, and sadly 24 people lost their lives.