Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday prayed for the well-being of the army personnel who went missing in Sikkim after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the Teesta river.
Singh described the glacial lake burst at Lonak in Sikkim as "deeply heart-wrenching" and said relief and rescue operations in the area are in progress amid extremely bad weather.
Twenty-three army personnel went missing on Wednesday following the cloudburst-triggered flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said.
'"The Glacial Lake Burst at Lonak, Sikkim is deeply heart-wrenching. Relief and rescue operations in the midst of extremely bad weather are in progress. Praying for the well-being of those army personnel, who are missing due to this tragedy," Singh said in a post on X.
The Army's eastern command said 23 personnel went missing following the floods.
"Due to a sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, a flash flood occurred in the Teesta River in Lachen valley. Some army establishments along the valley have been affected and efforts are on to confirm details," it said in a statement.
"Release of water from the Chungthang dam led to a sudden increase in water level up to 15-20 feet high downstream. This has led to Army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam getting affected," it said.
"23 personnel have been reported missing and some vehicles are reported submerged under the slush. Search operations are underway," the Army added.
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