Voice 9, Kolkata, and Siliguri:
While rivers swelled due to low pressure and continuous rains in South Bengal,
a flood situation has arisen, and at the same time, the Teesta River in North
Bengal is gradually becoming ferocious. Already, the Singhtham footbridge over
the Teesta River has collapsed due to the overflowing of the river. Seven
people went missing last night due to cloud-bursting rain.
Six bridges have been washed
and cleared. On the other hand, the Jalpaiguri administration has started
evacuating people living in the lower reaches of the river. The Sikkim
government has issued a high alert across the state and requested residents to
avoid the Teesta River as a safety precaution.
Meanwhile, an army truck
overturned in Harpa Bane Teesta this morning. It is said that there were at
least 23 jawans in that truck. It has been learned that the army vehicle was parked
on a road along the Bardang River near Singhtham. The truck plunged into the
river as the Harpa Ban came.
Director of Sikkim State
Disaster Management Department Prabhakar Rai said, "We got information
around 10 p.m. on Tuesday that the water level of the Teesta River has
increased in the Lachen area. Perhaps there is a cloud-bursting flood. We are
trying to verify the matter.' In this situation, the process of evacuating the
common people from the low-lying areas was started.
