GUWAHATI\/NEW DELHI
\nAt least ten people were killed in India\u2019s state of Sikkim and 82 others, including 23 army personnel, were missing after heavy rainfall caused the glacial Lhonak lake to overflow, spurring catastrophic flooding in the region on Wednesday, officials said.
\nThe northeastern state received 40.9 mm of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) – almost five times its normal rate of 8.6 mm for this time of the year.
\n\u201cSo far, 10 bodies have been recovered from different locations. At least 82 more are missing and 22 people are injured, some of them seriously,\u201d Sikkim Chief Secretary V B Pathak told Reuters.
\nA cloudburst – or an extreme amount of rain over a brief period of time – over Lhonak lake triggered the torrential flooding in the valley located about 150 km (93 miles) north of Gangtok near the border with China.
\n\u201cIntense rain has led to this catastrophic situation in Sikkim where the rain has triggered a glacial lake outburst flood and damaged a dam and caused loss of life and caused further damage to roads and infrastructure,\u201d said Miriam Jackson, a senior cryosphere specialist at the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
\nHeavy rainfall hampered the search for the Indian troops reported missing, with the capital city of Gangtok cut off by road, defence officials said.
\n\u201cTwenty three personnel have been reported missing and some vehicles are reported submerged under the slush. Search operations are underway,\u201d a defence ministry spokesperson said.
\nIndia\u2019s weather department has warned of landslides and disruption to flights as heavy rain is predicted to continue over the next two days in some parts of Sikkim.
\nJackson warned that such extreme events have become more frequent \u201cas the climate continues to warm and takes us into unknown territory.\u201d
\nThe main highway linking Sikkim to West Bengal state had collapsed and Gangtok was totally cut off by road, according to army spokesperson Anjan Basumatary.
\nAbout 15,000 people living in the vicinity are likely to be affected and at least eight major bridges have been washed away along the banks of the Teesta river, officials said.
\nMedia showed images of the river lashing through the hills and entering residential areas.
\nSome army bases and facilities along the valley were affected and rising water submerged vehicles following the release of water from a dam, a defence ministry spokesperson based in the neighbouring city of Guwahati said.
\nIntermittent rain and thunderstorms were hampering rescue operations in the area, an army official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GUWAHATI\/NEW DELHI At least ten people were killed in India\u2019s state of Sikkim and 82 others, including 23 army personnel, were missing after heavy rainfall caused the glacial Lhonak lake to overflow, spurring catastrophic flooding in the region on Wednesday, officials said. The northeastern state received 40.9 mm of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-359962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n