New Delhi, October 7: The mortal remains of eight Army personnel, who were part of a group of soldiers that went missing following flash floods in Sikkim, were found on Saturday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the minister also said he is deeply pained by the loss of lives in the flash floods.

"Deeply pained by the tragic loss of precious lives including eight Army personnel in the recent flash floods arising out of glacial lake burst in Sikkim," Singh said. "Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten," he said. Sikkim Floods: Death Toll Rises to 26, Search on for 142 People Still Missing Including 15 Army Soldiers.

The defence minister said search operations to rescue the remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway. The soldiers went missing following the flash floods on Wednesday.

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