On Friday, officials reported 26 deaths, including seven soldiers.

This week, a cloudburst over a mountain lake triggered massive floods.

As a result of the release of water from a nearby dam into the Teesta river, the floods worsened.

After flooding towns and villages downstream, it destroyed the power infrastructure at the Chungthang dam.

There have been hundreds of search and rescue personnel deployed across Sikkim and in downstream West Bengal. There is a high level of alert in areas near the river.

23 army personnel were reported missing. The bodies of seven people were recovered from different areas downstream of the river, according to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. This week, one soldier was rescued alive.

He said 142 people, including 15 soldiers, are still missing. The floods have affected more than 22,000 people, with many stranded in Lachen and Lachung in northern Sikkim. Mobile phone coverage in the area has been disrupted by the floods.

Several districts have been cut off from each other, and bridges have been washed away, Mr Tamang told the Press Trust of India.

In addition to providing food and medical aid, the army extended communication facilities to civilians and tourists stranded in the area. Evacuees are also being moved to relief camps by rescue teams.

Due to inclement weather, all schools and colleges in the state will be closed until 15 October.

A breach in the embankment of the state’s Lhonak lake caused a significant rise in water levels in the Teesta river in Lachen Valley on Tuesday night.

After a nearby dam released water into the river, the flood worsened.