Gangtok/ Guwahati, Oct 04, 2023, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Gangtok/ Guwahati, Oct 4 (IANS): One soldier has been rescued so far while search and rescue operation by the Army continued for the remaining 22 soldiers who went missing after a sudden cloudburst over the Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim early on Wednesday, a defence spokesman said.

The defence PRO in Guwahati said that the condition of the rescued Army man is stable and he is under medical care.

He said that troops of Trishakti Corps continued a massive search and rescue operation to trace the missing soldiers.

"The search operations are being undertaken under conditions of incessant rains, fast-flowing water in the Teesta River with the roads and bridges washed away at many places. By Wednesday evening one soldier had been rescued and the search operations for the remaining 22 personnel continued," he said.

The family members of the missing persons have been contacted and informed about the situation.

All other Indian Army personnel posted in Sikkim and north Bengal are safe and they are unable to contact their family members due to disruptions of mobile communication. The spokesman said that the cloud burst triggered a massive flash flood in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley.

Some Army establishments along the valley have been affected.

Release of water from the Chungthang dam led to further sudden increase in water level upto 15-20 feet high downstream, the Army spokesman said. "Sudden increase in water level has led to Army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam getting affected," he said.

The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has said that in Pakyong district, 59 people including 23 Army personnel have been reported missing, while at least five people were confirmed dead. The National Disaster Response Force has deployed three teams in the affected areas and rescued many people.