Approximately 150 laborers, who were engaged in the construction of tunnels for the Indian Railways near the Sikkim-West Bengal border, narrowly escaped a calamity on that eventful Wednesday morning. They were rescued just moments before the raging Teesta River waters engulfed their camp, along with almost all of their belongings.
Officials from a private construction company, for which these laborers work, acted swiftly when they became aware of the impending disaster. They arrived at the laborers' colony with vehicles just in time, rescuing the sleeping workers from a situation of impending peril.
The forceful flow of the Teesta River resulted in the devastation of the camp located near the Zero Mile area, approximately 2 kilometers from Rambi Bazar in West Bengal's Kalimpong district. At present, only the roofs of some cottages remain visible, while the rest of the camp is submerged under several feet of slush.
The laborers initially struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation when they were awakened from their deep slumber by phone calls from the office, instructing them to hastily pack their essentials and vacate the riverside camp. Eventually, with the assistance of a security guard dispatched to fetch them, they embarked on an unfamiliar route, saving valuable time and reaching the nearest motorable road approximately 20 minutes later.
Upon looking back from the safety of the road, they witnessed the ferocious river inundating their camp, sweeping away everything in its path. The juxtaposition of nature's devastation and their profound relief at surviving this ordeal moved them to tears.
Shibyendu Das, a 32-year-old laborer working at the site, expressed his gratitude for their survival, stating, "We cried our hearts out as we saw our huts going underwater. It was hard to believe that I was fast asleep at the same spot just 15-20 minutes ago. I am thankful to the almighty for saving us all."
These laborers hailed from various states such as Assam, Bihar, Punjab, and West Bengal, and they were employed by the construction company to build five tunnels for the Indian Railways' Sevoke-Rangpo project, which aims to connect the Himalayan state with the rest of the country.
They lost their food, tools, gas cylinders, personal belongings, and more in the flood, managing to save only some money, important documents, and a few items of clothing. Many had been working at the site for nearly two years and had never experienced such a dire situation before.
Their salvation was not solely the result of the security guard's intervention. Astonishingly, officers from the company were waiting for them with two trucks on an adjacent road. The officers, who had their lodging in the Rambi Bazar area, approximately 45 kilometers from Sevoke, managed to evacuate all 150 laborers to a vacant warehouse near their camp at Rambi Bazar after several trips by the trucks.
The officers and the security guard provided much-needed psychological support to the mentally traumatized and physically exhausted laborers, helping to restore their morale. Subsequently, the laborers were relocated to a secure location near Reyang village, where one of the project's tunnels is under construction.
In the initial stages, they received rations from the officers' provisions. Later, arrangements were made to ensure their comfort. The local community and authorities provided invaluable assistance during the crisis.
Returning to work after witnessing the fury of nature posed significant challenges for the laborers, with water now a source of anxiety for them. However, after grappling with the traumatic experience for two days, they were finally able to resume work on Friday.
The flash flood in the Teesta River was triggered by a cloudburst in Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim. This led to the accumulation of a substantial volume of water that ultimately surged toward the Chungthang dam, causing extensive damage to the power infrastructure before continuing downstream, inundating towns and villages.
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