Sikkim: Heavy floods and landslides triggered by pre-monsoon rains in India’s northeastern state of Assam have killed at least 10 people and affected more than 700,000, authorities said Thursday.
One of the world’s largest rivers, the Brahmaputra, which flows into India and neighboring Bangladesh from Tibet, burst its banks in Assam over the past three days, inundating more than 1,900 villages.
Heavy rains and landslides have disrupted normal life in Assam, with nearly 7.18 lakh people in 27 districts affected by the deluge. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person drowned in the Kampur revenue circle of Nagaon district on Thursday, May 19 while two more persons are reported to be missing.
Air Force helicopter services continued in Dima Hasao, which is completely cut off from the rest of the country, for emergency airlift of stranded passengers and supply of essential food grains, officials said.
The total number of people losing their lives in this year’s flood and landslides has gone up to 10 across the state.
More than 7,17,500 people are hit due to floods in the state – in Bajali, Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Hojai, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong West, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts.
(Smit)