At least 56 people died in India’s northeastern Himalayan valley after flash floods caused by a glacial lake overflow on Wednesday, according to a new report issued by authorities on Saturday.
Government official Anilraj Rai told AFP that “26 bodies were found in Sikkim.”
Jalpaiguri District Police Commissioner K. Umesh Ganpat In the neighboring state of West Bengal, rescue and search teams recovered another thirty bodies from the Teesta River basin.
He added that the length of the river is 86 kilometers. “Search operations continue”
Lake Lunak, which overflowed on Wednesday, causing major damage in a valley, is located at the foot of a glacier near Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world.
Among the dead were seven Indian Army soldiers stationed in Sikkim, which is located on India’s remote border with Nepal and China and has a large military presence.
There are also 16 soldiers missing, and their number is estimated at more than 100 people.
The Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the floods washed away “firearms and explosives” stored in army camps.
The ministry added that the Indian army deployed teams along the river to recover the lost equipment.
Local media reported on Friday that two people were killed and four others were injured in a mortar shell explosion while trying to cross water in West Bengal state.
Bridges, roads and telephone lines were washed away, complicating evacuations and communication efforts with thousands of people cut off from the rest of the country.
More than 2,400 people have been rescued, and nearly 7,000 others have taken shelter in improvised relief camps in schools, government offices and guest houses, according to the latest report by Sikkim authorities.
Between 2011 and 2020, Himalayan glaciers melted 65% faster than in the previous decade due to climate change, according to a report published in June by the Nepal-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Climate scientists say the average temperature on Earth’s surface has risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times, but high mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice the rate.
“Total coffee aficionado. Travel buff. Music ninja. Bacon nerd. Beeraholic.”
More Stories
Pro-Palestinian camp: Many students settle at McGill
Ballot boxes follow each other, but they are not the same.
A pro-Palestinian camp is set up in McGill