KOLKATA: Six people were killed after heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides in a remote corner of India’s northeast, officials said on Friday.

Another five people were missing around the affected area in Sikkim, a state in the Himalayan foothills bordering China and popular with Indian tourists.

Senior state government official Gopinath Raha said flood waters from the Teesta river had washed away roads and bridges, temporarily stranding more than 1,500 people.

“The water level of the Teesta river surged past the danger mark on Thursday morning, causing severe damage on the roads and disrupting traffic,” he said.

“More than 100 vehicles are stuck at various points in the northern part of Sikkim.”

A police official said that parts of the state’s north had been “cut off from the rest of the country”.

Sikkim’s state disaster agency said rescue operations were underway, but damage to the local mobile phone network was hampering relief efforts.

Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang said his government was working “to provide every possible support to the victims and affected families”.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

IHK resolution
Updated 08 Nov, 2024

IHK resolution

If the BJP administration were to listen to Kashmiris, it could pave the way for the resumption of the political process in IHK.
Climate realities
08 Nov, 2024

Climate realities

THE Air Quality Index in Lahore once again shot past the 1,000-level mark on Wednesday morning, registering at an...
Rule by fear
08 Nov, 2024

Rule by fear

THE abduction of an opposition MNA, as claimed by PTI, is yet another grim episode in Pakistan’s ongoing crisis of...
Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...