At least seven people have died and scores more were injured or missing after flash floods inundated Sikkim on October 4. The floods are believed to have been triggered after a lake, forming from the gradual melting of a Himalayan glacier, suddenly overflowed and inundated the Teesta river basin.
This destroyed the Chungthang dam, a key component of the State’s largest hydroelectric project, and washed away highways, villages, and towns. The worst affected districts were Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong, and Namchi. Twenty-two Army personnel were among those reported missing.
