Climate scientists warn that similar disasters will become an increasing danger across the Himalayas as global temperatures rise and ice melts.

Downstream search-and-rescue teams recovered more bodies overnight as the waters cut a swathe through the countryside towards the Bay of Bengal.

V.B. Pathak, the top civil servant in Sikkim state, told AFP that his office had confirmed 19 deaths.

Shama Parveen, a district magistrate in neighbouring West Bengal, said that an additional 21 bodies had been recovered in her state over the past three days.

Roads, bridges and telephone lines have been destroyed across much of the state, complicating evacuations and efforts to communicate with thousands cut off from the rest of the country.

Nearly 8,000 others were taking shelter at makeshift relief camps set up at schools, government offices and guesthouses, according to a state government bulletin.

An Indian army statement said that soldiers on rescue operations had been able to account for nearly 1,500 people visiting from out of state who were still marooned in the worst-hit flood areas.

“There may be a window of opportunity for evacuation of stranded tourists by helicopters” with weather conditions improving on Friday, the statement added.

Army helicopters were also air-dropping supplies to clusters of stranded people, Pathak told reporters.

“We are putting all efforts to provide relief materials to people and in restoring infrastructure,” he added.

India’s government said it had expedited funding for relief and recovery efforts, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising “all possible support” for those affected.

The water surge came after intense rainfall burst the high-altitude Lhonak Lake, which sits at the base of a glacier in peaks surrounding the world’s third-highest mountain, Kangchenjunga.

Water powered downstream, adding to a river already swollen by monsoon rains, damaging a dam and sweeping away houses.

Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than ever due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) research group.

“The root cause is climate change and this going to increase in the future,” ICIMOD climate change specialist Arun Bhakta Shrestha told AFP.

“None of the scenarios are good,” he added. “Even the most modest scenario tells us that… similar glacial lake outbursts flood events are very likely.”

Earth’s average surface temperature has risen nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times but high-mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice that pace, climate scientists say.

Among the dead are six Indian army soldiers posted in Sikkim, which sits on India’s remote frontiers with Nepal and China, and boasts a sizeable military presence.

India has been wary of China’s growing military assertiveness and their 3,500-kilometre shared frontier has been a perennial source of tension, with parts of Sikkim claimed by Beijing

Damages due to flash flood worth thousands of crores of rupees: Sikkim CM

Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, better known as PS Golay, on Friday said that the Himalayan state has incurred damages worth thousands of crores of rupees in the flash flood.

At least 22 people, including seven army jawans, have been killed while 103 others remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood.

Golay visited flood-affected areas in Rangpo town in Pakyong district and interacted with the displaced people lodged in relief camps. He assured them of all possible assistance.

“There have been damages worth thousands of crores of rupees. We cannot give exact details about damages, it will be revealed once a committee is formed and it completes its analysis. Our first priority is to save those who are stranded and provide them immediate relief,” Golay told PTI Video.

“Road connectivity between districts has been cut off and bridges have been washed away. Communication in North Sikkim has been severely affected,” the CM said.

Tamang said around 25,000 people have been hit by the natural calamity.

The CM said that he has spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, President Droupadi Murmu and other Union ministers and discussed the situation.

“They have assured me that all necessary assistance will be provided to the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shah has approved the release of Rs 44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim to provide relief to the affected people.

Following a directive from Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will visit the affected areas of Sikkim soon to make an assessment of the damage caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloudburst and flash flood, according to an official statement.

The home minister has approved the release of both the instalments of the SDRF’s central share to Sikkim, amounting to Rs 44.8 crore, in advance for 2023-24 to help the northeastern state provide relief to the affected people, the statement said.

The Centre has assured the Sikkim government of all possible help. The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is standing shoulder to shoulder with Sikkim, the statement said.

Based on the IMCT’s assessment, additional central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will be approved for Sikkim, in accordance with the laid-down procedure.

The flash flood in the Teesta River, triggered by the cloudburst in Lhonak Lake, caused accumulation of huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang Dam destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate flooding towns and villages.

Search for the missing people is underway, while the administration and the defence forces are making efforts to escort stranded tourists to safety.