Twenty-six students from Meghalaya, who were stranded in Sikkim due to a flash flood, were successfully rescued on Friday, October 6. The officials involved in the rescue operation said that today, October 7, they are on their way to Shillong.
These 26 students left Majitar in Sikkim in five vehicles and they reached Siliguri in West Bengal around Friday midnight, an official said. "A bus was then arranged for their transport from Siliguri to Shillong on Friday night itself," he added, as per a report by PTI.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma shared on X, "A bus with 26 students from Meghalaya left Majitar in Sikkim via Siliguri last evening, has crossed Kokrajhar and is on its way to Shillong. Glad to see our students safe."
To help those stranded in Sikkim, the Meghalaya government activated a helpline number 1800 345 3644, the rescue official informed, adding that the students studying in Sikkim contacted him for support to return home after the dire situation created by the flash flood, as per PTI.
A cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday, October 4, triggered the flash flood in the Teesta River. Twenty-six people, including seven Armymen, were killed and 142 people went missing. More than 1,200 houses were damaged in the flood which also washed away 13 bridges in the picturesque Himalayan state.
