The flood situation in Assam got worse on Friday with more than three lakh people reportedly affected. The Army has been pressed into action in Chirang district for rescue operations, reported PTI. The Army deployed four teams along with boats on Friday to rescue 30 people trapped in their marooned village. The district administration has sent 20 boats to evacuate stranded people.

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority, as many as 464 villages in nine districts – Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Morigaon, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Bongaigaon – have been inundated. The administration has set up 27 relief camps and seven relief distribution centres.

The ASDMA said the Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger mark at various places, including Jorhat, Golaghat and Golakganj districts. The swollen river and its tributaries have inundated over 25,000 hectares of agricultural land, damaging paddy crops. According to ANI, rain in catchment areas in neighbouring Bhutan has made the situation worse. The weather department has sounded flood alert in Dhubri district for the next 24 hours.

Assam has been reeling under floods since the onset of monsoon in the state. In 2015, more than 92,000 people were affected by floods in the state.