Sikkim forms task force to track residents missing in Nepal's deadly flash floods

The Sikkim government's new task force will coordinate with the Centre and Indian Embassy in Nepal to track down state residents who may be stranded or missing in flash floods that have killed 469 people across central Nepal, an official announced Friday.

Prabhakar Rai, Director of the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, will chair the body established through a notification issued Thursday. The task force has been mandated to "collect, compile and verify information regarding persons reported missing, stranded, injured, deceased or otherwise affected in the incident," the official said.

Coordination with families

The task force will establish direct communication with families of affected Sikkim residents and facilitate the exchange of verified information about their status and whereabouts, according to the official. It will work alongside multiple agencies to obtain information about state residents caught in the disaster.

Death toll climbs in Nepal

The flash floods in central Nepal have left 469 dead as more bodies were recovered Friday, with 1,545 injured and stranded people rescued from affected regions. Among those rescued, 84 remain hospitalised in Kathmandu.

Search and rescue operations entered their third day Friday, with 7,451 security personnel deployed, including 2,391 Nepal Army personnel, according to a Nepal Police statement.

The catastrophe began Wednesday when an ice-rock avalanche triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent water, mud and debris downstream through central Nepal, devastating towns and villages. The torrent washed away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaged hydropower projects.

Source: The Hindu