N-E continues to face rain fury; 11 die, 13 go missing
The flood situation in the northeast, mainly Assam and Meghalaya, remained serious with reports of 11 fresh deaths and 13 missing persons in the two states in the past 24 hours. Of the 11 deaths, nine were reported from Assam while two died in Meghalaya.
As many as 111 people have died in the northeastern states since April 1, according to official estimates.
In Assam, nine persons died and another eight went missing in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 71, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.
As many as 186,426 persons, out of 4,228,157, who were rendered homeless in the floods, are sheltered in 514 relief camps in different places of the state. The floods damaged 75 houses and destroyed 172,992 hectares of crop plantings, besides washing
away 31 animals.
A total of 37.2 mm rainfall was recorded in Assam in the past 24 hours, officials said. The state has recorded 1,243.9 mm rain between March 1 and June 18, the highest in two decades.
As landslides at Assam’s Dima Hasao district and Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district disrupted
road and rail connectivity between three districts of Barak Valley and rest of Assam, the state government introduced a subsidised Silchar-guwahati flight service.
Meghalaya reported two deaths in past 24 hours, taking the toll to 40 due to rains since April 1. The floods affected over 47,000 people in 96 villages, and damaged over 5,000 houses in the past 24 hours. A total of 4,262 persons sought shelter at 36 relief camps across the state.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma and home minister Lahkmen Rymbui visited the worst-affected Lumshnong area in East Jaintia Hills, where a massive flashflood led to a road cave in, leaving one dead and bringing critical road transport to a virtual standstill.
An alternative route for lighter vehicles was arranged by district authorities, Sangma said.
Nagaland and Manipur did not report any deaths, except disruption in Manipur’s Imphaljiribam sector of National Highway 37 due to landslides.
The floods left two persons injured and one missing in Tripura. A total of 2,485 affected families have taken shelter at 46 relief camps and 118 houses were damaged at different parts of the state, according to the state emergency operation centre.