KOLKATA, India: At least 40 people were killed after a glacial lake burst its banks triggering flash floods this week in the Indian Himalayas, according to government officials who spoke to international media on Friday as rescuers searched for dozens still missing.
Lake Lhonak in the mountainous state of Sikkim overflowed on Wednesday, causing massive flooding that authorities said affected the lives of 22,000 people.
This tragic weather incident in the South Asian highlands is the most recent one to be linked to climate change.
Officials in Sikkim on Thursday night put the death toll at 18. Officials in the downstream state of West Bengal told Reuters that rescue teams had found another 22 bodies that had washed up.
The Indian military said it plans to evacuate nearly 1,500 stranded tourists using helicopters once the weather in the region improves.
