Bhubaneswar: Odia Army jawan Saroj Kumar Das, who was among the 23 soldiers missing in the flash floods in Sikkim, has reportedly died, his family members informed.
The body of Das, who went missing in the flood in the line of duty, was recovered today. His family members identified him through a video conference.
Saroj spoke to his brother Manoj over the phone at 10 pm on Tuesday. He told to his brother that it was raining heavily and he was returning to the unit from the training camp.
“They (Army officials) sent us the photos of five bodies of jawans recovered. The officials said five bodies have been recovered till now and asked us to verify whether my brother is one of them or not. I found my brother was among the five Army personnel whose bodies were recovered.
“The Army officials said they will send a final confirmation report after a few hours as doctors are examining the identification marks on the body as marked during the joining,” said Saroj’s brother.
Dhenkanal Collector Saroj Kumar Sethi met the bereaved family at Kendudhipa village.
“The body of Das is scheduled to reach the village tomorrow. His last rites will be performed with full state honour. The administration will also give financial assistance to the family as per the government rule,” the Collector said.
Saroj, a resident of Kendudhipa village under Kamakhyanagar police station in Dhenkanal, had married only seven months ago.
Das served as a havildar in the Indian Army. He had been recruited in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) wing of the Indian army in 2012.
The shocking incident has completely shattered the family and relatives who had been praying for his safe rescue for the last two days.
A sudden cloud burst over the Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim triggered flash flood in the Teesta River in Lachen Valley.
The floods started around 1.30 AM. As many as 22 army personnel have been missing and some vehicles submerged under the slush.
