New Delhi: The mortal remains of eight Army personnel, who were part of a group of soldiers that went missing following flash floods in Sikkim, have been recovered, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
Twenty-three Army personnel went missing in Sikkim after a cloudburst triggered massive flash floods in the Teesta river on Wednesday. One soldier was rescued later that day.
In a post on X, Singh said on Saturday that he is deeply pained by the tragic loss of precious lives including of eight Army personnel in the flash floods.
He said search operations for rescuing the remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway.
The deceased personnel are Havildar Saroj Kumar Das, Lance Naik NG Prasad, Havildar Sajjan Singh Khichar, Naik Bhawani Singh Chauhan, Sepoy Shivkesh Gurjar, Naik Bimal Oraon, Sepoy Gopal Maddi and Sepoy Kimentemsu, according to the Army.
“Deeply pained by the tragic loss of precious lives including eight Army personnel in the recent flash floods arising out of glacial lake burst in Sikkim,” Singh said.
“Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten,” he said.
“Search operations to rescue remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway,” the defence minister added.
Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande and all ranks of the force also expressed condolences on the demise of the eight personnel.
“General Manoj Pande #COAS and All Ranks of the #IndianArmy express heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of eight #IndianArmy Soldiers in the unfortunate incident of flash floods arising out of glacial lake burst in #Sikkim,” the Army said on ‘X’.
“We stand firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” it said.
Gen Pande and the Army also express grief at the loss of civilian lives in the flash floods.
The Army said search and rescue efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining 14 missing soldiers and other civilians.
“#IndianArmy efforts towards providing safety, relief & succour to the local populace affected by this calamity will continue as hithertofore,” it said.
“Despite the irreparable loss of lives & material, #IndianArmy remains committed and prepared for all the contingencies,” the Army added.
The flash floods affected over 25,000 people, damaged more than 1,200 houses and washed away 13 bridges in the picturesque Himalayan state, according to the state government.
