The Sikkim government has constituted a task force to provide relief and assistance to residents of the state who may be stranded, missing or otherwise affected by the devastating flash floods in Nepal.
The task force, headed by Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority Director Prabhakar Rai, will coordinate with the Centre, the Indian Embassy in Nepal and other agencies to gather and verify information about affected Sikkim residents.
According to a government notification issued on Thursday, the task force will compile details of people reported missing, stranded, injured, deceased or otherwise affected by the disaster. It will also remain in contact with their families and facilitate the exchange of verified information regarding their status and whereabouts.
The initiative comes as search and rescue operations continue in Nepal, where the death toll from the floods rose to 469 on Friday. Authorities have rescued 1,545 injured and stranded people, while 84 remain under treatment at hospitals in Kathmandu.
The disaster was triggered on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche caused by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed a massive torrent of water, mud and debris, devastating towns and villages across central Nepal.
