For many, the gushing Teesta sneaked into their homes silently to shatter their dreams forever.

Lakpa Lepcha, a resident of Singtam in Sikkim, said on Thursday that he was sleeping at his house when he was suddenly awakened by the cold water.

“The water was around me. It had reached my waist without making any noise,” said Lakpa, who works in stone quarries in the area.

Lakpa’s house is a little further from Singtam town. Residents of the town said Gangtok district administration personnel had alerted them to the rising river using whistles.

“The water gushed in suddenly. I held my wife’s hand and kicked at the tin shed walls for an escape route. My hand was aching while holding and pulling my wife and we finally managed to reach higher grounds,” said Lakpa, who, however, couldn’t save anything. “I had saved around Rs 1 lakh to build my house. The money is gone but I am lucky to be alive.”

Kumari Rai, a resident of Bagay Khola, was not lucky.

“I found water had entered my house. I ran towards my mother to warn her that the water was rising. Everyone in my family — my mother, nephew, aunt — was swept away,” said Kumari.

Ajit Gazmer, also a resident of Singtam, said he had learnt that his wife Alina Lepcha had climbed a tree to save herself.

“I was not at home but was in another place. I am told that my wife climbed a tree around 2am to save herself. Her hands are all bruised,” said Gazmer.

Gazmer was looking for his uncle and aunty whose house had been completely submerged by the silt. “From my area, six elderly people are still missing,” said Gazmer.