Nine dead as landslides, triggered by incessant rains, hit Sikkim

Six more people were killed and two others wounded as excessive rainfall triggered massive landslides across North Sikkim, causing extensive damage, blocking several key roads and inundating dozens of homes across the region, officials said on Thursday.

The toll in the state from the recent spate of rainfall and landslides is now nine, with three deaths reported on Monday.

The tiny Himalayan state in eastern India has been recording excessive rainfall since Sunday, even as people in the rest of the country reel from varying degrees of heatwaves and water shortages. Around 2,000 tourists are stranded in the state as of Thursday evening, officials said.

The Sikkim government has initiated measures for relief and to provide basic necessities, a statement from the chief minister’s office said.

“Efforts are underway to provide every possible support to the victims and affected families, including recovery assistance, temporary settlement, and the provision of basic needs,” chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, who was in Itanagar for the swearing in ceremony of Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, was quoted as saying in Sikkim government’s statement.

Mangan district, the northernmost region of the state bordering China, was the worst affected. According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mangan district in North Sikkim received over 220mm rain between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning.

“A massive and devastating landslide has struck the areas around Mangan and various locations in North Sikkim following incessant rainfall since yesterday. This tragic incident has resulted in the loss of lives, the destruction of houses, and the displacement of families,” the government statement said.

While there were no official reports on how many people were displaced in this week’s havoc, over a hundred people have been affected.

In 2023, a flash flood devastated the state and also triggered a glacial lake outburst on the South Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. Around 100 towns and villages were partially or severely hit. It included the towns of Lachen and Chungthang in north Sikkim. More than 88,000 people were affected. At least 33 bridges were washed away.

On Thursday, while three casualties were reported from Pakshep, three were killed in Ambhithang – both in North Sikkim which comprises Mangan district. With this, the toll in the state rose to nine, with three deaths being reported on Monday in South Sikkim.

The landslides blocked several roads and washed away some massive sections of others, damaged houses and uprooted electricity poles in multiple areas in Mangan. Several houses at Upper Gyathang and Tarag villages were completely damaged by landslides in Djongu area. The road leading to Mangan, the district headquarters, has been cut off. There were also several reports of deaths of cattle and poultry birds.

“The road leading to Mangan has been washed away at multiple points. This has cut off the supply line as vehicles can’t reach several areas. Measures were being taken to open up new routes to connect the cut off regions,” a district official in Mangan said.

District magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri said: “More than two thousand tourists are stranded at places like Lachen and Lachung. But they are all safe.”

Other areas like Damthang in South Sikkim, Gyalshing in West Sikkim and Gangtok have received 30mm-50mm rain in the same period. Ravangla in South Sikkim received 119.5mm rain between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, while Tadong in Gangtok district in East Sikkim, received around 103 mm rain between Monday and Tuesday morning.

While the state normally receives around 162mm rain between June 1 and June 13, according to IMD data, this year it has registered 250mm rain in the last 13 days, resulting in 54% excess.

Despite the rainfall so far, IMD has predicted even more in the coming days. IMD has issued a red alert for North Sikkim and orange alerts for others districts in the state, warning of more rain and possible landslides over the next four to five days.

“Alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in all the six districts of Sikkim, till around the morning of June 18, has been sounded. For Mangan district, a red alert was in place for Thursday. Over the next few days orange alert has been issued for districts such as Gangtok, Geyzing and Mangan. The weather impact forecast says that there are possibilities of flash floods and landslides,” an IMD official said.

Attributing the excess rain to a strong monsoon trough and a low-pressure area over the state, GN Raha, director of IMD’s regional office in Gangtok, said, “Monsoon had hit Sikkim and sub-Himalayan West Bengal on May 31. Over the past few days, the monsoon trough has bene very strong over Sikkim and as a result moisture-laden winds are gushing in from the Bay of Bengal. Secondly an elongated area of low pressure also passes over Sikkim. This is triggering the rains.”

Earlier, landslides were reported from several pockets in Gangtok district. At Namchi in South Sikkim, the main water supply pipeline was damaged hitting water supplies.

Officials from North Sikkim said the new bridge near Sangkalang, which was built by the Army and Border Roads Organisation after a glacial lake outburst in North Sikkim left over 100 dead in October last year, was completely damaged. As a result, connectivity between upper and lower Djongu, Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen has been cut off.

In West Bengal’s Kalimpong district, many people were rendered homeless as the Teesta River damaged human habitations along its banks. At Teesta Bazar, which was badly affected by the flash floods last year, the road leading to Darjeeling via Peshok was inundated, officials said.

Balasubramanian T, district magistrate of Kalimpong, said, “Many new vulnerable points have been identified on NH-10.” Used extensively by the Army and civilians, NH-10, which leads right up to the Indo-China border, is the lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong.