Gangtok, Aug 28: The Sikkim government has constituted a task force for providing relief and necessary assistance to those from the state, who may be stranded or missing in Nepal flash floods, an official said on Friday.
The task force, with Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority Director Prabhakar Rai as its chairman, will coordinate with the Centre, the Indian Embassy in Nepal and several other agencies to obtain information about the state’s residents affected by the disaster, he said.
“It will collect, compile and verify information regarding persons reported missing, stranded, injured, deceased or otherwise affected in the incident,” the official said, citing a notification issued on Thursday.
The task force will establish communication with the families of affected Sikkim residents and facilitate the exchange of verified information regarding their status and whereabouts, he said.
The death toll from flash floods in central Nepal rose to 469 on Friday, with more bodies recovered. So far, 1,545 injured and stranded people have been rescued from various affected regions. Among them, 84 are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu.
Search and rescue operations continued for the third day of the tragic incident with the mobilisation of 7,451 security personnel, including 2,391 Nepal Army personnel, a Nepal Police statement said.
An ice-rock avalanche triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating towns and villages, washing away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects. (PTI)
