At least 23 soldiers were reported missing after heavy floods hit a valley in the Himalayas in northeastern India, the Indian military said on Wednesday.
“Due to sudden rains in Lake Lhonak, in the north of the state of Sikkim, the Tista river suddenly overflowed (…), 23 soldiers are missing” and vehicles were submerged in the waters, the Indian Army said in a statement. release. statement.
“Search and rescue efforts continue,” the note states.
This remote mountainous region of the Himalayan Mountains is close to India’s borders with Nepal and China. Lake Lhonak is located at the bottom of a glacier near Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world.
Due to the release of water from a nearby dam, the level of the Tista river was 4.5 meters above normal, the Indian Army said.
A video released by an Army spokesman shows a violent torrent of brown water heading towards a forested valley, passing over roads and carrying power lines along the way.
In other images shared by the Army we see buildings submerged up to the first floor in a city, with only the tip of a small construction crane remaining out of the water.
According to Sikkim State Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, mobilized emergency services have been sent to the flood-affected areas.
“I humbly request all our fellow citizens to remain vigilant and refrain from unnecessary travel during this critical period,” Prem Singh Tamang said on social media site X (formerly Twitter).
In the neighboring state of West Bengal, people were evacuated from the districts of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri to safer places.
Floods and landslides are relatively frequent in India and cause a lot of damage, especially during the monsoons between June and September. But in October, monsoons generally don’t hit Indian territory as hard.
Experts say climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, including heavier rains, causing flash flooding.
Melting glaciers in the Himalayas are also causing rivers to rise, while unregulated construction in flood-prone areas could also worsen damage and expose local populations to disasters.
Between 2011 and 2020, Himalayan glaciers melted 65% faster than in the previous decade, according to a report published in June by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Based on current data on carbon dioxide emissions, glaciers could lose up to 80% of their volume by the end of the century, the Nepal-based intergovernmental organization estimated.
Source: TSF
