Himalayan Times (1962)

September 2, 1962

Himalayan Times

'I hree

GANGTOK FLOOD DEATH TOLL NOW 138

Bursting of 1 .iural Dam Probable Cause

Gan^tok, August 29.

In mist and rain,
S i k k i m continues to
measure the extent of its
calamitous flood. The
number of dead is now
put at 138, but it is
i'tared tht-t more may
have perished. No bodies
bas been recovered, such
hub the savage strength
of the flood in the Tetsta
river.

Eye witnesses to the
disaster are still, isolated
across the river in North
■Sikkim, but reliable re-
ports reaching Gangtok
tell of miraculous escapes
and patheticBuddendeath.

Nepalese labourers em.
ployed by the Army near
Chungthang slept in filmby
shelters unmindful that
they lay in the dtrect
path of an all-destroying
flood. They had been cele-
brating Jacniastami with
prayers Lad songs and
dances. Many were still
awake when at 1-3*1 a.m.
the roar of the watpr
wa.. heard and an alarm
was raised. Many among
ihem marie good their
escape, but those sleeping
awoke only when tbe
water engulfed them: a
raging tumbling wave that
carrit d trees and huge
boulders with it. Escape
for them wa6 impossible*

In a military camp
also the celebration ci
J an m apt a mi was on. The
alenn was sounded when
the thunder of water was
heard. \n euormou3 boul-
der waB up stream of the
comp and here the flood
was momentarily halted
then flung diagonally
across the river While
the wall of water rushed
by, every person in the
camp mad^ good his
escape. There was no loss
of military personnel but
much valuable equipment
was swept away.

Military spokesmen
here have emphatically
denied rumours current
in Sikkim and the Dar-
jeeling district that there
was x considerable loss
of Army life.

Still the Teesta is in
spate: a coffee-coloured
fluod pushing up giant
waves and carrying every-
thing before it. The m.iin
Gang tok road, where it
follows the iver, has been
ftiten away so that the
tar macadam surface is in
places urusupporUd above
the river, while in others
all trace of the road bas
disappeared. Enormous
landslides have torn away
the read where it scaled
tbe mountain above the

river. Trofljc has been
largely immobilized, psfc-
rol in Gangtoa is scares
and food prict a a r e
soaring.

The Maharajkumar and
Dewan of $ikkim have
left to visit CbiiDgthang
and Laohen areaa, where
the damage is most severe,

The cause of last Thurs-
day's disastrous flood 13
still unknown. Almost cer-
tainly ic was caused by
a landslides blocking the
river in its upper reaches.
Floods caused by the
sudden bursting natural
dams in the high catch-
ment areas in North
Sikkim have devastated
Sikkim and the lower
reaches of the Teesta in
previouK years,

LESSONS FOR TIBETANS
Kal mpong, Aug. 31

The Far East Broad-
casting Co., Philipine Is-
lands, has b«en broad-
casting in Tibotan for
Bome years. They now
plan to begin a new series
entitled, "English lessens
for Tibetans", beginning
on Sept. 3rd., 1962. These
lessons will begin at &
level simple enough fox
anyone to follow who
knows the English alpha-
bet. These and other in-
teresting programmes in
Tibetan may be heard on
tbe 19 metre band a?
35 38 megacycles, each
Sun.. Monday, Wednesday
and Friday at 6.4S A x.