At least 10 people have died and 82 are missing in floods in a valley in northeastern India linked to the overflow of a glacial lake in the Himalayas on Wednesday, the local government said.
“Ten bodies have been recovered so far and 82 people are missing, including soldiers,” Vijay Bhushan Pathak, a senior government official in Sikkim state, told reporters on Wednesday evening. An earlier report reported five dead and dozens missing, including around twenty soldiers.
The affected area, a remote mountainous region of the Himalayas, is close to the borders of Nepal and China. Lake Lhonak, which overflowed and caused significant destruction in a valley downstream, lies at the foot of a glacier near Kangchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak.
“The floods have caused destruction in four districts of the state, washing away people, roads and bridges,” Himangsu Tiwary, an army spokesman, told AFP.
Authorities said roads in the area were “severely” damaged and 14 bridges were destroyed.
According to satellite images from the Indian Space Research Organization, Lake Lhonak suddenly shrank by two-thirds, losing around 105 hectares of water area.
Flooding from overflowing glacial lakes, often accompanied by rockfalls, is becoming more common as global temperatures rise and icy areas melt.