Sikkim has begun work to designate as dead at least 79 people who went missing in floods unleashed by a Himalayan glacial lake outburst two weeks ago, a senior official said on October 20, taking the death toll in the disaster to 179.
The floods triggered by torrential rain and overflow from the Lhonak Lake were among the region's worst in more than 50 years, washing away homes and bridges in the north-eastern State.
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