2023-10-05 14:03:12
At least 14 people have died and more than a hundred people are missing due to flooding in a Himalayan glacial lake in northeast India. Lake Lhonak overflowed its banks on Wednesday and caused severe destruction in several districts of the state of Sikkim, as the local disaster management announced on Thursday. Sudden flooding from glacial lakes has increased as a result of global climate change.
“The number of dead is currently 14 and the number of missing is 102,” Sikkim disaster management agency chief Prabhakar Rai told AFP. The masses of water had, among other things, swept away entire houses, damaged a dam, destroyed 14 bridges and severely damaged some roads.
Indian Army spokesman Himanshu Tiwari told AFP that flood damage affected four districts in Sikkim state. There were also 22 soldiers among the missing.
Help for the disaster victims was also made more difficult by the fact that telephone connections broke down in many places. According to authorities, 25 emergency shelters were set up for people who had to leave their homes. According to its own statements, the army tried to provide medical care to tourists as well as locals. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised “all possible help” to those affected.
Lake Lhonak lies at the foot of a glacier near Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. Because of global warming, the ice on many glaciers is melting faster. Glacial lakes are therefore increasingly overflowing their banks. Climate researchers warn of an increasing risk of such floods across the entire Himalayan Mountains.
Sikkim borders Nepal and China. Parts of the Indian state are claimed by Beijing. There are therefore numerous soldiers stationed in Sikkim.
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