Army weapons,  equipment swept away in Teesta River

Guwahati, Oct 6: The deluge in Sikkim led to a large amount of military equipment, including weapons and explosives, being carried away in the Teesta River, defence officials said on Friday, urging people to be cautious.

Defence PRO, Lt. Col. Mahendra Rawat said: “Due to severe floods in Sikkim, certain military equipment including firearms and explosives were carried away in Teesta River. An urgent notice for the public has already been issued by Jalpaiguri district authorities.”

He also said that the Army has established lookout teams all along the river downstream.

In a statement, the Army said: “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unfamiliar objects, crates, packages, firearms or any suspicious item floating in the water to the nearest police station immediately.

“Please refrain from handling these items in any manner, as they pose a potential risk of a dangerous explosion.”

Meanwhile, Lt Col Rawat told IANS that the search operation has been focussing in the downstream in areas of Teesta Barrage.

At the site of the incident at Burdang near Singtam, the army vehicles are being dug out and stores being recovered. “Additional resources in terms of teams of Tiranga Mountain Rescue, tracker dogs, and special radars have been brought in, to assist in the search operations,” he added.