ITBP rescues 56 in north Sikkim, search continues for missing 81

Fifty-six people have been rescued in north Sikkim's Chungthang town, one of the worst affected areas in the recent flash floods in the state, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police said on Sunday. Among those rescued were 52 men and four women, it said.

"In another rescue operation, 56 civilians (52 Male & 4 Female) were successfully rescued via the ropeway made by the ITBP Rescue Team in Chungthang, North Sikkim," the ITBP posted on X.

The search for the 81 more people who went missing in the flash flood continues. So far, 30 bodies have been found, officials said.

The flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of 4 October affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the calamity as a population of around 30,300 was hit by the disaster, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA).

The other three affected districts are Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi.

Nineteen of the deaths were reported from Pakyong, six from Gangtok district, four from Mangan, and one from Namchi, the SSDMA said.

Special radar, drones and Army dogs have been deployed for the search operations, officials said. So far, 2,563 people have been rescued from different areas and 6,875 people have taken shelter in 30 relief camps set up across the state, most of which have been cut off from the rest of the country.

The deluge also damaged more than 1,320 houses and washed away 13 bridges in the four districts of the picturesque Himalayan state.

More than 3,000 tourists stranded in Lachen and Lachung in Mangan district are safe, officials said.