The death toll in the flash flood in Sikkim has risen to 27, with the body of one more Army man being found in West Bengal on Saturday, while search operations are still underway for the 141 people who are missing. According to a report by the Secretary-cum State Relief Commissioner, Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, four of the deaths occurred in Mangan district, six in Gangtok district, nine in Pakyong, and eight were Army personnel.
So far, 2,413 people have been rescued from different areas and 6,875 people are taking shelter in 22 relief camps that have been set up across the state, with much of it being cut off from the rest of the country. Twenty-six people sustained severe injuries as a result of the flash flood and were hospitalized. The flash flood also affected 25,065 people in four districts – Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those who have died and an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 each to those taking shelter in the camps. He also noted that the flood has caused damages worth thousands of crores of rupees and that a committee will be formed to assess the damage once the search operations have concluded. The search for the remaining missing soldiers is continuing both in Sikkim and the northern parts of West Bengal through which the Teesta flows.
