CATASTROPHIC

India Flooding Disaster Leaves 14+ Dead and Over 100 Missing

Torrential rains caused a Himalayan glacial lake to burst its banks.

Major flooding in India left at least 14 people dead and over 102 missing as a Himalayan glacial lake burst its banks. Heavy rains caused the Lhonak Lake in the northeastern Sikkim state to overflow, creating the worst flooding disaster in the region in more than 50 years. Local officials said the crisis was aggravated by water being released by the state-run NHPC's Teesta V dam, with a government source telling Reuters that four of the dam’s gates had been washed away. It’s not clear why the gates weren’t opened in time, the source added. The state disaster management said that as of Thursday morning, 26 people were injured and 22 army personnel were among the 102 people missing. Authorities say around 22,000 people had been impacted by the disaster.