Sikkim deluge: 22 bodies recovered, including 6 army personnel

 KOLKATA: The number of bodies recovered from the northern sector of West Bengal following the devastating flash flood in the adjacent hill state of Sikkim has increased to 22 as of Friday, as per the records of the state disaster management department. At least 17 were recovered by Friday morning. The bodies were mainly recovered from the overflowing Teesta River in Jalpaiguri district in the northern sector.

As per the initial estimates of the state disaster management department, of the 22 bodies recovered, at least six are of the Indian army personnel posted in Sikkim who went missing following the flash flood. “More bodies might be recovered as the work of recovery and rescue operations progresses,” an official from the disaster management department said.

The bodies recovered so far have been preserved at four different hospitals: Malbazar, Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri Town in Jalpaiguri district, and North Bengal Medical College & Hospital at Siliguri in adjacent Darjeeling district. Meanwhile, the National Highway 10, connecting north Bengal with Sikkim, has been damaged following landslides. State disaster management department sources said that smaller relief and rescue vehicles are being sent to different parts of Sikkim through an alternative route that is longer than the conventional route.

“Several tourists from West Bengal are still stranded in different parts of Sikkim. The figure is estimated to be around 3,000. Fortunately, the weather conditions have started improving since Friday morning, and the pace of relief and rescue operations can be accelerated. We expect to bring back a substantial number of stranded tourists from the state there by Saturday afternoon,” the state disaster management department official said. (IANS)

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