As 62 missing individuals are discovered to be alive, the death toll from the Sikkim floods rises to 30. A Central team is scheduled to arrive on Sunday

 As 62 missing individuals are discovered to be alive, the death toll from the Sikkim floods rises to 30. A Central team is scheduled to arrive on Sunday

Four more dead were discovered on Saturday, bringing the death toll from the Sikkim flash flood to 30, and 62 persons who had been reported missing earlier were found alive. An interministerial team from the central government will visit the state to survey the damage.

According to the most recent bulletin published by the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) on Saturday night, there are currently 81 individuals missing, for whom search efforts are under way. In the early hours of Wednesday, a cloudburst caused a flash flood that affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the tragedy with an estimated 30,300 people affected, it added. The three other districts that are impacted are Gangtok, Pakyang, and Namchi. Of the 30 fatalities, 19 occurred in Pakyong, four in Namchi, six in the Gangtok area, and four in Mangan. Nine soldiers were among the 19 individuals who died in Pakyong, according to the report. On October 3, 23 troops went missing; one of them had already been found.

The Army is still looking for the other missing individuals. Army Dogs, drones, and specialized radar have all been used for the task. Officials said that 15 of the 39 army vehicles that had also gone missing on that day had so far been found in several feet of slush. A delegation made up of top officers from the ministries of agriculture, road transportation and highways, water resources, energy, and finance will visit the northeastern state starting on Sunday to survey the damage brought on by the flash flood, according to Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra.

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs told reporters here that "the team will visit Sikkim from tomorrow to take stock of the ground situation, assess the extent of damage, and provide assistance wherever necessary."

Mishra requested that the state government authorities create both short- and long-term strategies in order to efficiently complete the task of quickly rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure.

The transfer of $44.8 crore as an advance payment from the federal share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim has been authorized by the Center in order to assist those impacted by the recent flash floods. On Saturday, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang traveled to north Sikkim's disaster-affected areas and examined the infrastructure that had been devastated.

Additionally, he presided over a gathering of the Toong Naga Gram Panchayat Unit's Zilla and Ward Members, together with GREF, BRO, and officials from related departments. It was determined at the conference to start planning a road route right away for the delivery of relief supplies. The chief minister went to the location of the destroyed Sankalan bridge (Dzongu). He added that a zip line has been installed with the assistance of the locals for speedy transportation of groceries and other essential amenities towards Dzongu, which is currently completely cut off, and that a 55-meter-long Bailey bridge over the Sankalan river will be built soon to restore vehicular movement between Dzongu and Mangane.

Using a hanging harness, pulley, or handle, a person or object can slide down a cable or rope that is strung between two points that are different heights.

Due to damage to the road's surface and numerous Teesta River bridges, National Highway 10, Sikkim's lifeblood, is now impassable. The segment between Rangpo and Singtam is now being opened up and widened.

East Sikkim offers an alternative route to the state capital Gangtok, while there are further routes to West and South Sikkim. However, highways past Mangan are currently blocked in North Sikkim.

Tamang also paid a visit to an ITI Chadey relief camp housing 32 families from the impacted districts.

Additionally, he gave the family members money for essential needs.

Tamang had previously promised a 4 lakh rupee ex-gratia to the families of the deceased and a 2,000 rupee instant aid to everyone residing in the camps. 6,875 individuals have sought refuge in the 30 relief camps that have been set up throughout the state, the majority of which are shut off from the rest of the nation, and 2,563 people have been rescued from various locations. In the four districts of the scenic Himalayan state, the flood also destroyed 13 bridges and caused damage to more than 1,320 homes, according to the study. According to officials, all of the more than 3,000 visitors who were left trapped in Lachen and Lachung in Sikkim's Mangan district after a flash flood ravaged the area are safe.

The Indian Air Force tried numerous times to conduct rescue and relief missions using Mi-17 helicopters, but bad weather prevented them from taking off from Bagdogra or Chaten.

The army and the local government have been supplying food, medical care, and telephone access via satellite terminals to the stranded tourists and locals.

Teams have gathered information on every tourist staying in different hotels, and some of them have been housed in Army camps, according to officials.