Sikkim Flash Floods: Toll Reaches 30, Central Team To Visit Today, 3,000 Tourists Stranded – Top Points

Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said an inter-ministerial central team will visit the flood-hit state on Sunday to assess the extent of damage.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang inspects damages after a cloudburst triggered flood in Sikkim.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: The toll in the Sikkim flash flood reached 30 as four more bodies were recovered on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. Of the 30 deceased, 19 were army personnel. As many as 41,870 people in four districts – Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyang and Namchi – were affected after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the state on Wednesday. Mangan was worst hit with as many as 30,300 people affected by the disaster.

According to the report, Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said an inter-ministerial central team will visit the flood-hit state on Sunday to assess the extent of damage. Mishra arrived at the Himalayan state for a three-day visit on Saturday.

Here are the key updates:

• Sixty-two people who were reported missing over the past three days were found alive, bringing the number of missing people down to 81, as per the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) bulletin.
• As many as 2,563 people have been rescued so far and 6,875 people have taken shelter in 30 relief camps across the state, PTI reported.
• According to the SSDMA bulletin, over 1,320 houses and 13 bridges in the four affected districts have been damaged.
• Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra on Saturday held a meeting with Chief Secretary VB Pathak and state government officials, army and other organisations. He said the Centre is constantly monitoring the situation and assured all possible help.
• Mishra said a team comprising officials of five central ministries – agriculture, road transport and highways, water resources, energy and finance – will visit Sikkim on Sunday. "The team will visit Sikkim from tomorrow to take stock of the ground situation, assess the extent of damage and provide assistance wherever necessary," PTI quoted the minister as saying.
• He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are in touch with CM Prem Singh Tamang for the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
• The mortal remains of eight army personnel, who went missing after the flash floods, were recovered on Saturday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. Taking to X, he wrote, “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 sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten. Search operations to rescue remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway.”
• Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tributes to Indian Army jawan Saroj Kumar Das after his mortal remains arrived in Bhubaneshwar, PTI reported. He lost his life in the flash flood.
• Meanwhile, over 3,000 tourists are stranded in Lachen and Lachung in Mangan district, PTI reported. The Indian Air Force tried to carry out rescue operations but was unable to fly from Bagdogra and Chaten due to inclement weather, low-lying cloud cover and low visibility in Lachen and Lachung valley, IAF officials said, reported PTI.