At least 14 people lost their lives today at northeast India and the fate of 102 others, including 22 soldiers, is unknownsince heavy rain caused a breach in the banks of a glacial lake, causing flash floods in a mountain valleyofficials announced, cited by the Reuters agency (according to AFP sources, the dead amount to at least 10 and the missing to 82).

The disasterwhich affects 22,000 people living in the area, according to authorities, it is the latest in a series of extreme weather events in the south Asian mountains attributed to climate change.

“Search operations are being conducted under conditions of incessant rainrapid flow of waters in the Teesta river, while roads and bridges have been washed away by the waters in many places”said a representative of the Ministry of Defense through the social networking platform X.

A huge amount of rain fell yesterdayWednesday, at short notice in Lake Lonaklocated at the foot of a glacier, causing flash floods in the Teesta river valleyabout 150 kilometers north of Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim, near the borders with China and Nepal.

India

The state’s disaster management agency announced that early this morning 26 people are injured while the fate of 102 is unknown. Eleven bridges have been swept away by the waters -14 according to authorities cited by AFP.

“Floods wreaked havoc in four regions of the state, sweeping away people, roads and bridges”an army spokesman told AFP.

In a video by the news agency ANI they are shown flooded residential areas where houses have collapsed and vehicles have been covered in water, while military bases and other facilities have been damaged.

Lonak Lake has suddenly shrunk by two-thirds, losing a water surface of about 1,050 acresaccording to satellite images released by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The weather service warned of landslides and flight problems as more rain is expected in the next two days in parts of Sikkim and neighboring states.