|
Current
Affairs
|
News  |
|
Five villages in quake-hit Sikkim razed, no survivors seen yet MANGAN (SIKKIM): An Army aerial survey on Wednesday showed that at least five villages in north Sikkim have been obliterated. More disturbingly, the survey failed to detect any people in or around the area, raising fears of the quake toll going up significantly. Authorities also said that 11 bodies were retrieved from the rubble at the hydel project near here where rescue teams fear that 40 workers are trapped in a flooded tunnel. With more bodies being found as the rescue teams are reaching areas that were cut off, fears of the toll going up are rising by the hour. The official toll put out by the Sikkim government was 69. This does not take into account the possible casualty figures that might emerge from the five devastated villages -- Lingzya, Sakyong, Tentong, Day and Tholong. Counting deaths in neighbouring Bhutan, Bihar, Nepal, West Bengal and Jharkhand, the toll now stands at about 140. There was no news of the 40 workers trapped in the tunnel of the Teesta Urja hydel project between Theng village and Mangan with authorities now fearing the worst. An Army platoon failed to enter the flooded tunnel on Wednesday. The landslide debris is expected to be cleared on Thursday and the picture will be clear only after that, said sources. According to National Disaster Relief Force sources, seven bodies were located in Dzonghu but they couldnt be recovered. Nishit Upadyay, commanding officer, said that many more could be lying under the debris. North Sikkim district collector S K Pradhan said the death toll was uncertain because most parts of the district were still cut off. Back |
|
Created
by SaasVaap Techies pvt ltd