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"Twenty three personnel have been reported missing and some
vehicles are reported submerged under the slush. Search
operations are underway," a defense ministry spokesperson said.
India's weather department has warned of landslides and
disruption to flights as heavy rain is predicted in some parts
of Sikkim.
The main highway linking Sikkim to West Bengal state was snapped
and Gangtok was totally cut off by road, according to army
spokesperson Anjan Basumatary.
A cloudburst over Lhonak lake was the main trigger for the
flooding in the valley located about 150 km (93 miles) north of
Gangtok near the border with China.
About 15,000 people living in the vicinity are likely to be
affected and at least 8 major bridges have been washed away
along the banks of Teesta river, V S Pathak, chief secretary of
the state, told Reuters.
Media showed images of the river lashing through the hills and
entering human habitations.
Some army bases and facilities along the valley were affected
and rising water submerged vehicles following the release of
water from a dam, the defence ministry spokesperson based in the
neighbouring city of Guwahati said.
Intermittent rain and thunder storms were hampering rescue
operations in the area, an army official told Reuters, speaking
on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Subrata Nag Choudhury in Kolkata, Zarir Hussain in
Guwahati, Tanvi Mehta and Krishn Kaushik in New Delhi; Editing
by Clarence Fernandez and Stephen Coates)
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