NE floods: 8 dead in Arunachal, 4 in Assam; roads, bridges washed away in Assam’s Dima Hasao

At least 12 people have died in floods and mudslides triggered by extremely heavy rains in the northeastern regions. Over 2 lakh people in 20 districts have been severely affected due to floods in Assam, with the hill district of Dima Hasao getting cut off from the rest of the state after landslides. The region has been witnessing very heavy rainfall for the last couple of weeks and, it is likely to continue for the next couple of days.

Flood washes away roads, bridges in Dima Hasao

In Dima Hasao, roads, bridges and houses have been completed or partially damaged in several areas. Communication channels have also been snapped. "Due to landslides, the district cannot be approached from outside. All roads and railways leading to Haflong is blocked since May 15," the bulletin said.  
NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, besides locals, have been carrying out rescue operations in the flood-hit areas.

Nazreen Ahmed, a senior official in Dima Hasao, notified that several railway stations have been shut down and people in the district are totally cut off as roads and bridges were washed away. 

At least 12 die in floods

Meanwhile, four people were killed Monday following heavy rain and mudslides in Arunachal Pradesh. Two others died when their houses on a small hillock collapsed in the state's capital, Itanagar, and two road construction workers were killed by mudslides at another location.  Also, four other people were reported killed in Assam.

The heavy rains are likely to continue in the region at least for the next four days, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast said. 

Landslides and floods are common in India’s Himalayan north. Scientists say they are becoming more frequent as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers there. In 2020, flash floods killed nearly 200 people and washed away houses in Uttarakhand state. In 2013, thousands of people were killed in floods there.

(With inputs from agencies)