Deaths rise to 47 after an icy flood swept through India’s Himalayan northeast

By WASBIR HUSSAIN and ANUPAM NATH
Associated Press

GANGTOK, Sikkim (AP) — Rescuers in India have found more bodies as they dug through slushy debris and ice-cold water in a hunt for survivors after a glacial lake burst through a dam. Hundreds of rescuers recovered six more bodies early Saturday, taking the death toll to 47. At least 150 people are still missing. The flood began shortly after midnight Wednesday, when the waters of a glacial lake overflowed, cracking open the biggest hydroelectric dam in Sikkim state. The icy waters then cascades through towns in the valley below, where it killed scores of people. Bad weather has made rescue efforts more challenging. Police say nearly 4,000 tourists were stranded in two locations in the northern part of the state where access was severely restricted as the floods had washed away roads.