Sikkim: A massive landslide on Tuesday morning destroyed the power station of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation's (NHPC) Teesta Stage 5 dam in Sikkim. No injuries or casualties have been reported in the incident.
Over the past few weeks, the hill adjacent to the 510 MW power station was said to be under threat after having witnessed minor slides frequently.
As a major chunk of the hill tumbled down during the slide, the power station right below it was reduced to rubbles on Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, there was nobody present inside the power plant as it had been evacuated a few days ago following frequent landslides, NDTV reported.
A video of the landslide recorded by people working near the power station has surfaced online. In the clip, a portion of the cliff can be seen shifting, following which a huge portion of it can be seen falling on top of the power station. People can be heard screaming as the landslide hit the power station.
The Stage 5 dam has been defunctional since October 2023 after the Lhonak glacial lake burst after a cloudburst in the northeastern state.
The cloudburst had triggered a massive flash flood that washed away parts of the biggest hydropower project in Sikkim, Teesta Dam, at Chungthang.
The alternative road connecting Singtam town with Mangan district was also disrupted.
Videos from the October incident showed large portions of the dam's wall missing as the swollen Teesta river flowed through it continuously in the Mangan district in North Sikkim.
The dam which was destroyed in the flash flood last year was being reconstructed.