Central team arrives in Sikkim, toll reaches 55

The death toll in flash floods in Sikkim jumped to 55 with officials in the Himalayan state confirming 26 bodies were recovered within its territory till Saturday evening while in Bengal, where 27 bodies were fished out of rivers till Friday, two more were found a day later.

- Pramod Giri

Bad weather still hampered rescue and several villages and town neighbourhoods lining the Teesta river as it flowed from Chungthang, in north Sikkim, to Teesta Bazar, at the foothills on the Bengal-Sikkim border, remained under neck-deep layers of silt and debris brought in by the flood.

The first disaster relief personnel reached the Chungthang village in Mangan district, which was the worst hit, late on Friday after trekking for days.

"While the first team of SDRF personnel managed to reach Chungthang on Friday night, a second team reached this [Saturday] morning. Nearly 80% of the town has been damaged and most of the houses, shops and offices are buried under several feet of debris," a top government official said, asking not to be named.

The SDRF team had to trek for several kilometres through treacherous hilly trails and then cross the Teesta using a precarious suspension bridge to reach the town.

"There are no reports of any casualties from the town till now. Relief has finally reached Chunthang. We hope to restore communication lines within two to three days," a senior IAS officer posted in Mangan said.