47 people have died as a result of the icy flood that ravaged northeastern India's Himalayas

After a glacial lake burst through a dam in India's Himalayan northeast, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands to flee, rescuers found more bodies overnight while digging through slushy debris and ice-cold water.

Officials said hundreds of rescuers found six more bodies early Saturday, bringing the death toll to 47. At least 150 people are missing.

The biggest hydroelectric dam in Sikkim state broke when a glacial lake overflowed shortly after midnight Wednesday. Police said the icy waters then cascaded through valley towns, killing scores of people and carrying some bodies downstream to West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Indian Himalayas are prone to landslides and floods during the June-September monsoon season. Global warming is melting glaciers there, making them more frequent, say scientists.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said 3,900 people were in 26 state-run relief camps. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said one of the 23 missing Indian army soldiers had been rescued and eight had died, adding that search operations were ongoing.

Intense rain and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon were suspected causes.

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development estimates that global warming could reduce Himalayan glaciers by 80%.