At least ten people lost their lives and another 80 individuals are missing, including 22 army personnel after a cloud burst triggered massive flash floods in the north-eastern state of Sikkim on October 4.
The deceased have all been identified as civilians; three bodies were discovered washed up in northern Bengal.
The burst occurred in the upstream of a lake in the north of the state, which resulted in an alarming rise in water in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley. Several towns, including Dikchu, Singtam, and Rangpo located in the Teesta basin, have also been flooded with the upsurge in the river.
The flood also stranded over 3,000 tourists and several workers in different parts of the state. The flood situation was aggravated by the release of water from Chungthang dam, which raised the water levels up to 15-20 feet high downstream. The dam is part of the Teesta Stage III hydroelectric project, where some workers were trapped in tunnels.
The road infrastructure has suffered extensive damage due to flooding as 14 bridges have collapsed with nine of them being under Border Roads Organization (BRO) and five others belonging to the state government," said V B Pathak, Sikkim Chief Secretary.
The search, rescue and relief operations are being carried out while authorities have started evacuating people from low-lying areas.
A flood alert has been issued for the area where the Teesta flows through Bangladesh and North Bengal.
