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Bhutan Glacial Lake Bursts Above Laya, Flood Alerts Follow the Sankosh Into India

Shintaphu Lake in Bhutan's Gasa district burst on Thursday evening, washing away a hot spring complex and a stretch of the Punakha to Gasa highway and sending flood alerts into West Bengal and Assam. No deaths were reported.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Bhutan Glacial Lake Bursts Above Laya, Flood Alerts Follow the Sankosh Into India

Key points

  • A glacial lake in northern Bhutan burst on Thursday evening and sent floodwater down mountain rivers toward India, where thousands of people in West Bengal were moved into shelters.
  • The outburst swept away the Gasa Tshachu hot spring complex.
  • Floodwaters reached Taktsemakhang at about 8:15 p.m. on Thursday and damaged a section of the road to Laya.

A glacial lake in northern Bhutan burst on Thursday evening and sent floodwater down mountain rivers toward India, where thousands of people in West Bengal were moved into shelters. Shintaphu Lake, also spelled Sintaphu, sits below Wakila Mountain in Lungo, Laya Gewog, in Gasa district. The lake gave way on October 29, according to NE Insider.

The outburst swept away the Gasa Tshachu hot spring complex. A section of the Punakha-Gasa Secondary National Highway near the 31.85 kilometre point was completely washed away, and the road was closed to all traffic until further notice, TOB News reported, citing Daily Bhutan.

Damage in the high valley

Floodwaters reached Taktsemakhang at about 8:15 p.m. on Thursday and damaged a section of the road to Laya. An artificial lake formed at Taktsemakhang, where the Sintaphu Chhu meets the Lungu Chhu, according to reports citing Bhutan Times. Shintaphu is one of 17 glacial lakes on Bhutan's official list of potentially dangerous lakes, TOB News reported. Bhutan's state broadcaster BBS reported no deaths or injuries in Bhutan as of Friday morning.

Alerts across the Indian border

India's Central Water Commission issued a special flood advisory on Thursday for West Bengal and Assam. The commission warned of a sudden rise in the Sankosh river, the name the Punatsangchhu takes after it enters India, and said the water was expected to reach the border within six to eight hours.

In West Bengal, Alipurduar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Shaw said about 4,000 to 5,000 people had been moved into shelters, mostly school buildings, and more than 6,000 others had been shifted to safer places. National and state disaster response teams were deployed at Tufanganj and Boxirhat in Cooch Behar district.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state was monitoring the possible impact in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts, with disaster teams on standby. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said no evacuation had begun in Dhubri and river levels had not risen as of Friday. By Friday morning, officials said the period of greatest flash flood risk had passed and residents in the Indian areas were safe, while preparedness was maintained in the river districts on both sides of the border.

Timeline

  1. Oct 29, 2026Shintaphu Lake bursts on Thursday evening below Wakila Mountain in Lungo, Laya Gewog, Gasa district. The flood sweeps away the Gasa Tshachu hot spring complex and a section of the Punakha-Gasa Secondary National Highway.
  2. Oct 29, 2026India's Central Water Commission issues a special flood advisory for West Bengal and Assam, warning of a sudden rise in the Sankosh river and saying the water is expected to reach the border within six to eight hours.
  3. Oct 30, 2026No deaths or injuries are reported in Bhutan as of Friday morning. West Bengal has moved about 4,000 to 5,000 people into shelters and more than 6,000 to safer places, and officials say the period of greatest flash flood risk has passed.

Sources