Heavy rain caused a flash flood in a secluded valley in northeast Sikkim state. 23 troops are missing, according to the Indian army..
A video shared by an Indian army official showed strong brown water flowing through a forested valley, destroying roads and power lines..
Teesta River flash flood caused by rapid cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim The army released a statement saying that 23 people have been reported missing and that several vehicles have reportedly been immersed in slush. “Search efforts are ongoing.”
In this handout image from the Indian Ministry of Defence, people of Muguthang, in the Sikkim state of India, are seen being evacuated using a backhoe loader after a flash flood caused by heavy rains. (Image courtesy of the Indian Ministry of Defense/AFP)
The region has a sizable military presence and is not far from China’s and Nepal’s borders with India. Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, where Lhonak Lake is located at the foot of a glacier.
The river was already about 4.5 meters (15 feet) higher than normal, according to the army, due to water released upstream from the Chungthang dam.