At least 14 folks have been killed and 102 are nonetheless lacking within the north-east Indian state of Sikkim after heavy rain precipitated a glacial lake to burst its banks, triggering flash floods down a mountain valley.

The catastrophe, which befell on Wednesday, has affected greater than 22,000 folks, based on the authorities, and 22 military personnel are among the many lacking. It has additionally left over 3,000 vacationers stranded after the floods washed away the principle highways and bridges.

The catastrophic overflow of Lhonak Lake befell after 5 instances the same old quantity of rain fell on the state throughout a cloudburst, inflicting a dam to partially collapse within the Teesta valley, near the border with China. Video footage confirmed the muddy flood waters surging into built-up areas, inflicting homes to break down and submerging military bases.

“The search operations are being undertaken under conditions of incessant rains, fast-flowing water in Teesta River, roads and bridges washed away at many places,” a defence spokesperson mentioned on the X social media platform, previously often known as Twitter.

Authorities warned the rescue operation could be difficult as extra rain was forecast in coming days and cell and telephone strains continued to be down.

The incident is the newest excessive climate occasion to happen within the fragile Himalayan mountain area in south Asia, which is closely affected by the local weather disaster and has lately been hit by extreme and unseasonable rainfall, flooding and landslides.

About 250 folks died within the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh throughout the monsoon after unprecedentedly heavy rains washed away swathes of roads and precipitated catastrophic landslides.

“Sadly, this is the latest in a series of deadly flash floods that ricocheted across the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region this monsoon, bringing the reality of this region’s extreme vulnerability to climate change all too vividly alive,” mentioned Pema Gyamtsho, director common of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.