Sikkim flash flood toll rises to 25, search on for missing

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced ex-gratia compensation of ₹4 lakh to the families of those who died in the flash flood. He also declared an immediate relief of ₹2,000 each to all those who are being sheltered in relief camps.

Army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, both on foot and in boats, have recovered 25 bodies, including those of seven Army men from the slush and debris of the flash flood which swept through Sikkim’s Teesta river, officials said October 6.

The flood which was triggered by a cloud burst in the early hours of Wednesday also resulted in a large number of people going missing.

Officials said 143 are still missing though some 2,413 people have been rescued and are in shelters.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced ex-gratia compensation of ₹4 lakh to the families of those who died in the flash flood. He also declared an immediate relief of ₹2,000 each to all those who are being sheltered in relief camps.

"There has been damage worth thousands of crores of rupees. We cannot give exact details about the damage, it will be revealed once a committee is formed and it completes its analysis. Our first priority is to save those who are stranded and provide them immediate relief," he told PTI.

"Road connectivity between districts has been cut off and bridges have been washed away. Communication in North Sikkim has been severely affected," Mr. Tamang said.

Of the 23 Army personnel who had gone missing from Bardang area, the bodies of seven have been recovered from different areas downstream while one had been rescued earlier.