Dozens of people remain missing after a devastating flash flood in India. The number of deaths has risen to at least 38, the Times of India reported on Friday. Rescue work is being hampered by bad weather and damaged infrastructure in the affected small northeastern state of Sikkim on the border with China, Nepal and Bhutan, local media said. Bridges and houses, among other things, were destroyed in the accident. It was one of the region’s worst severe weather events in decades.
The Indian Army, meanwhile, warned of firearms and explosive devices being washed away as military camps were also damaged in the event. She called on people not to touch the military equipment and instead inform the police. Earlier, two people died and others were injured in the state of West Bengal bordering Sikkim after they touched a mortar floating in the Teesta River, police said.
It rained heavily in Sikkim on Wednesday night, which, among other things, led to a sharp rise in the level of the Teesta River. A glacial lake in the mountainous region also overflowed and a dam burst.
