26 students from Meghalaya stranded in Sikkim, evacuated: Official

Shillong: Twenty-six students from Meghalaya stranded in flash flood-hit Sikkim have been successfully evacuated and they are on their way to Shillong, an official said on Saturday.

These 26 students left Majitar in Sikkim in five vehicles and they reached Siliguri in West Bengal around Friday midnight, the official involved in the rescue operation told PTI.

"A bus was then arranged for their transport from Siliguri to Shillong on Friday night itself," he said.

To help those stranded in Sikkim, the Meghalaya government activated a helpline number 1800 345 3644, the official said.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said 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." He said the Meghalaya students studying in Sikkim had contacted him for support to return back home due to the current situation in Sikkim.

A cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood in the Teesta river in which twenty-six people including seven Armymen were killed and 142 people missing.

More than 1,200 houses were damaged in the flash flood which also washed away 13 bridges in the picturesque Himalayan state.