Three days after a cloudburst in Sikkim caused flash floods, the death toll in the state increased to 40. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang asserted that there have been damages worth Rs 1,000 crore. He mentioned that their first priority is to save those who are stranded and provide them immediate relief.  

The authorities have urged tourists to delay their travel with the possibility of another glacial lake burst. Nearly 3000 people are stranded in Lachen and Lachun. Sikkim Chief Secretary Vijay Bhushan Pathak said that 3,150 people who have gone there on motorcycles are also stranded due to the flood and that they will evacuate all the tourists using helicopters of Army and Air Force.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister claimed that the destruction of the Chungthang Dam on Wednesday was due to the inferior construction by previous state governments. He added that the dam is fully damaged and washed out and the disaster in the lower belt is due to this.

He mentioned that there was a cloudburst but because of the inferior and sub-standard construction by the previous governments, the dam broke and even more floods hit Lower Sikkim with violence. 

Notably, climate scientists earlier warned that similar disasters will become an increasing danger across the Himalayas amid rise in global temperatures. Reports stated that flash floods on the night of October 3-4 submerged or washed away all bridges downstream of the Teesta-V hydropower station, up to Tarkhola and Pamphok. 

The flood destroyed 11 bridges in Sikkim, including eight in Mangan district, two in Namchi, and one in Gangtok. It further damaged water pipelines, sewage lines, and 277 houses in four districts. NDRF platoons in North Sikkim are on standby to evacuate the local residents.

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