Assam flood toll increases to seven
More than two lakh residents have been adversely affected in the state. Five persons have also died in Arunachal Pradesh because of heavy rain.
Seven persons have died and nearly 2 lakh residents have been adversely affected by floods caused by heavy rains in Assam, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.
Two persons died due to flooding in the Cachar district, while four were killed because of landslides in the Dima Hasao district and one in Lakhimpur.
Twenty districts in Assam have been affected by the floods, according a report by the State Disaster Management Authority.
The report also states that 16,645.61 hectares of crop area has been damaged by the rain. Of the total, 5,387.75 hectares of land has been damaged in Nagaon district alone.
Authorities have opened 55 relief camps and 12 relief distribution centres across the state. A total of 32,959 persons were in relief camps as of 4 pm on Monday.
The State Disaster Management Authority has issued flood alerts for the districts of Cachar, Karimganj, Dhemaji, Morigaon and Nagaon for the next 12 to 72 hours, The Indian Express reported.
Visuals on social media showed submerged villages and residents wading through flood water.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Twitter than 119 elderly train passengers were safely airlifted from the Dima Hasao district. “Kudos to all agencies – Army, [Indian Air Force], Railways, district adminitration, police and ASDMA for coordinated action,” he said.
The passengers were stranded at the Ditokcherra village, where the Silchar-Guwahati Express had been stuck since Saturday, according to The Times of India.
Torrential rains also caused five deaths in Arunachal Pradesh, the Hindustan Times reported on Monday.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that he was immensely pained by the deaths due to the floods. “Necessary ex gratia as per government norms is being worked out,” he said. “Meanwhile, [district] administration has identified and earmarked buildings as temporary relief camps and people in vulnerable places may either shift there or to other places till the situation normalises.”