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

Buildings are inundated after flash floods triggered by sudden heavy rainfall swamped Rangpo town in Sikkim, India, Friday, Oct. 6. 2023. A flood that burst through a major hydroelectric dam in India's Himalayan northeast killed at least 31 people, officials said Friday, as ice-cold water swept through mountain towns, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. The flood began shortly after midnight Wednesday, when a glacial lake high in the mountains overflowed after a heavy rainfall. - AP

GANGTOK, India (AP): Rescuers found more bodies overnight as they dug through slushy debris and ice-cold water in a hunt for survivors after a glacial lake burst through a dam in India’s Himalayan northeast, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands to flee.

Officials said the hundreds of rescuers recovered six more bodies early Saturday, bringing the death toll to 47. At least 150 people are still missing.