Flash floods kill at least 31 in northeastern India and leave nearly 100 missing

Cars lie submerged in water after flash floods triggered by a sudden heavy rainfall swamped the Rangpo town in Sikkim, India (Prakash Adhikari/ AP)

At least 31 people have been killed and thousands forced to leave their homes after ice-cold floodwaters swept through mountain towns in India’s Himalayan northeast, officials said.

The flood began on Wednesday when the waters of a glacial lake breached a hydroelectric dam, cascading through towns in the Lachen Valley.