Northeast flood toll rises to 52; over 5.6 lakh affected in Assam
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Photo: PTI
Guwahati: The current flood situation in Assam and other parts of the Northeast improved slightly on Thursday, despite two additional deaths in Assam. This brought the overall number of deaths from floods and landslides in the region to 52: 21 in Assam, 12 in Arunachal Pradesh, six in Meghalaya and Mizoram, three in Sikkim, two in Tripura, and one each in Nagaland and Manipur.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) stated that a total of 5,60,072 persons in 19 districts of the state are still impacted, with Sribhumi district in southern Assam accounting for 2,15,148 of them. A large number of displaced people have sought shelter in relief camps.
Floods have also ruined 19,345.34 hectares of crops and destroyed homes, roads, and bridges. The ASDMA said that the Brahmaputra and several other rivers are still flowing above the danger threshold in some areas.
In nearby Manipur, 1,65,787 people remain affected, however, the general situation has improved slightly as water levels in key rivers begin to fall. However, low-lying regions in the Imphal Valley, particularly in Imphal East district, remained submerged following the severe rains that began on May 31.
On Thursday, the Indian Air Force airlifted 199 persons stuck in remote places in Sikkim, one of the most severely affected states. Four Mi-17 and two Cheetah helicopters were deployed to conduct relief missions in the flood-ravaged state, TNIE reported.
Aircraft were able to reach remote and severely affected regions such as Chaten in North Sikkim, successfully rescuing numerous stranded individuals. According to a senior Army official, helicopters took off at dawn and, making use of a brief weather window, evacuated over a hundred people—among them children—in a short time.
These efforts brought critical relief to civilians, military personnel, and foreign nationals caught in the landslide-impacted area. Despite these operations, six people remain unaccounted for, including a Lieutenant Colonel, his retired Squadron Leader wife and their daughter, who went missing following a major landslide on Sunday.
In Arunachal Pradesh, authorities reported that the flood situation showed little improvement, with rainfall continuing across the region. More than 33,000 residents in 214 villages across 24 districts have been affected by the combined impact of floods and landslides.
