A newly-married couple from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district, who went to Sikkim for their honeymoon, has gone missing after their vehicle reportedly fell into the Teesta River amid heavy rain, officials said on Tuesday.
The landslide, which occurred at 7 pm on Sunday near Lachen town in Mangan district, was triggered by heavy rainfall in the area.
So far, over 30 people have died across Northeastern states due to heavy rainfalls, floods and landslides, according to media reports.
The rain and flood situation in northeastern states remained grim on Tuesday, with lakhs people affected in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, even as the meteorological department predicted more rain in several parts of the region.
The Sikkim Government has confirmed that 14 people have died so far in the flash floods that occurred in Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday.
A team of mountaineers from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police successfully scaled one of India's highest mountains -- Mount Dome Khang located at an altitude of 23,786 feet in north Sikkim.
Landslides triggered by heavy rain cut off large parts of northern and eastern Sikkim, including Nathula pass, while efforts were being made to restore connectivity, officials said on Friday.
The fast-flowing river, which is normally about 250 metre away from her house, was carrying with it camps, utensils and animal carcasses.
On day three after a flash flood wreaked havoc in Sikkim's Teesta basin, the number of bodies recovered from the river and mud embankments downstream rose to 22, including seven army men.
The flash flood affected 25,065 people in four districts - Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi, the report said.
Like millions of people across the world, the year 2020 had dealt me irreplaceable losses and the lowest of blows. Like I have always done at such junctures, I had sought the refuge of the mountains. I wanted to end the year on a high, to show the finger to life, says Sumit Bhattacharya after a memorable journey to North Sikkim.
The release of water from the Chungthang dam led to a sudden increase in water levels up to 15-20 feet high downstream, defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.
'The Himalayan people may not represent a large or politically influential section of the population, but India's security depends on them.' 'Let us hope Sikkim remains a beacon of stability,' says Claude Arpi after a recent visit to the picturesque north eastern state.
The armed IRB jawans have been deployed since the past week on the direction of the state government, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Range, Prawin Gurung told reporters.
With rescue teams finding it difficult to reach far-flung quake-hit areas in Sikkim, hundreds of survivors are trekking out of their villages, crawling sometimes to negotiate dangerous stretches. Hundreds of villagers from inaccessible higher areas of Lachung, Lachen and Chungthan have gathered in Tung after an arduous trek down and are being taken to safe places. Army sources said hundreds of villagers reached Tung, 10 km from Chungthang, one of the worst-hit areas.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday made an aerial survey of quake-ravaged areas of Sikkim and announced Rs 1,000 crore as Central assistance to the state.
The tourists were a state of shock.
The landslides and landslips along the 60 km stretch between Gangtok and Mangan along NH31A, the lifeline of the mountain state, was affecting rescue operations in the higher reaches in the mountains, army sources said.
When asked why the operation was taking so long, an officer said, "Actually a portion of the mountain has caved in and several parts of the roads have been completely ravaged. Moreover, we are not able to carry out high intensity blasts because other portions of the mountain are in a brittle condition and might come down."
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