Swelling waters of the River Teesta have damaged key infrastructure in North Sikkim, leaving 112 tourists stranded in Lachen and 1,350 in Lachung, as confirmed by the Mangan District Administration.
The surge has impacted the site of the previously destroyed Teesta Stage III dam in Chungthang, with construction workers seen clearing debris amid rising water levels.
The Phidang Bailey Bridge, connecting Mangan to Chungthang, has suffered base damage, while the Sankalang bamboo bridge—a critical link to the Dzongu constituency—has collapsed. Dzongu, comprising 13 GPUs, now stands completely cut off. The Chungthang Hydropower Project was previously damaged on October 4, 2023, and was being rebuilt, only to be engulfed once again by the Teesta’s fury.
Night visuals from Phidang highlight the intensity of the river’s flow and ongoing structural threats. Rescue and relief efforts are underway amid challenging weather conditions.
Authorities are monitoring the situation closely, prioritising connectivity restoration and evacuation of stranded tourists as North Sikkim grapples with yet another climate-induced crisis.
Incessant rainfall lashed the district throughout the day, especially the Chungthang sub-division. officials said the Power supply, which was snapped on Friday afternoon, was restored this evening, while efforts are underway to restore the drinking water supply by Sunday, they said.
The mobile connectivity was restored after nearly 24 hours, around 3 pm, they said.
Mangan’s District Collector Anant Jain said he is stationed at the site where the tourist vehicle plunged into the Teesta and is overseeing the rescue efforts.
The SP said, “A continuous heavy rainfall and a swollen Teesta river have hampered the search to locate the eight missing persons. The search will resume as soon as weather conditions improve." He said four identity cards and six mobile phones have been recovered by the search team from the river banks near the accident site.
Source: News18
