International Desk : At least 40 people have been killed after a glacial lake burst its banks and triggered flash floods in the Indian Himalayas, Reuters reports.

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The Lhonak Lake in the mountainous northeastern state of Sikkim overflowed on Wednesday after a cloudburst triggered torrential rains and an apparent avalanche, causing major flooding in the Teesta River.

Authorities in Sikkim said the latest disaster, which came ahead of a popular festive and tourism season in the scenic state, had impacted the lives of 22,000 people.

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Scientists and government authorities were working on an early warning system for glacial floods at Lhonak Lake which could have given people more time to evacuate if fully operational, officials involved in the project told Reuters.

Sikkim officials had put the death toll at 18 on Thursday evening. Officials in the neighbouring downstream state of West Bengal told Reuters that emergency teams recovered another 22 bodies that had been washed away.

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Fifteen bridges had been washed away in the state, hampering rescue operations. All bridges downstream of an NHPC (NHPC.NS) hydropower station Teesta-V have either been submerged or washed away, the Indian government said.

The army said it is planning to evacuate nearly 1,500 stranded tourists using helicopters as weather in the region improves.

The body of an Indian Army soldier was recovered by local residents and the police from Kichamat Chhatnai Char of Dimla upazila in Nilphamari on Thursday.

Sun News/MR

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