19 dead, 12,000 affected as rain triggers floods, landslides across Northeast
Rescue operations underway across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam , Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram. IMD issued red alerts, warning of more downpours in the coming days
Aizawl/ Silchar/ Itanagar/ Agartala/ Imphal: At least 19 people have been killed, dozens feared trapped, and over 12,000 affected as relentless rainfall triggered a series of deadly landslides, flash floods, and widespread devastation across the northeastern states of India over the past three days. Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh have been the worst hit, with roads washed away, homes destroyed, and thousands rendered homeless. While rescue operations are underway across multiple locations, continuous heavy rain and infrastructure damage have severely hampered efforts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alerts for several northeastern states, warning of more downpours in the coming days.
Mizoram
At least eight people are feared trapped after a massive landslide, triggered by relentless rainfall, brought down three buildings in Lawngtlai town in southern Mizoram late Friday night, an officer from the Lawngtlai deputy commissioner’s office said.
Rescue efforts, hampered by continuous rain and limited equipment, are underway, with two injured individuals pulled from the debris so far. The 3rd Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police, stationed in the Thingkah village near Lawngtlai, is en route to assist in the rescue efforts.
The landslide struck Chanmary, the commercial hub of Lawngtlai, where the collapsed buildings served both residential and commercial purposes. One floor reportedly housed a hotel sheltering Myanmarese refugees.
Cries for help were reportedly heard from beneath the rubble. The local police said that despite ongoing rescue efforts led by the Young Lai Association (YLA), heavy rainfall continues to hamper debris clearance. “There was a loud rumble just before the landslide, and about 15 persons from the hotel managed to escape in time. With limited rescue equipment and machinery, it’s been incredibly challenging to remove the debris. But our volunteers, in coordination with the police, are doing their best to reach those trapped,” YLA leader in Lawngtlai Elvis Lalthangzuala said .
The National Highway-54 is blocked because of the landslide, cutting off Lawngtlai from Siaha, Mizoram’s southernmost district.
Assam
At least five people were killed in landslides triggered by three days of heavy rainfall in Assam’s Kamrup Metro district, and over 12,000 people across five districts have been affected by floods, according to the Assam state disaster management authority (ASDMA).
Guwahati and Silchar are facing urban floods (referring to the rapid rise of floodwaters in urban areas due to limited infiltration and heavy rainfall events), affecting more than 10,000 people. Several relief camps have been set up for those displaced. “Five revenue circles in three districts, including Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, and Cachar, have been affected by the urban flood. 10,150 have been affected, and two relief camps have been established. Five deaths due to landslides in Kamrup Metro district have been reported in the last 24 hours,” an official said.
In Lakhimpur, water breached a ring bandh, inundating a large area. Disaster response forces, including the state disaster response force (SDRF) and the national Disaster response force (NDRF), have been deployed for rescue operations.
As per the reports of the IMD, Guwahati and its surrounding areas have received 90 to 134 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, and further heavy rain has been predicted.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that heavy rainfall in the hills of Meghalaya, which are adjacent to Assam, is one of the major reasons behind this, adding that he’d meet Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma to discuss this soon.
The state government appealed to private educational institutions to take appropriate measures, considering heavy rains, urban floods, and the weather forecast. The government also decided to give special casual leave to most of its employees on Saturday.
Arunachal Pradesh
At least nine people were killed in separate landslides across Arunachal Pradesh as flash floods continue to batter parts of the state following days of incessant rainfall.
Seven people heading to Seppa were killed in a massive landslide that swept away their vehicle on the Bana-Seppa stretch of National Highway 13 in East Kameng district late Thursday night. All seven bodies were recovered by rescue teams early Friday morning, an officer said.
“It is very painful to hear about the tragic loss of seven lives in a landslide on NH-13 between Bana and Seppa. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families during this difficult time,” state home minister Mama Natung said. He urged citizens to avoid night travel in landslide-prone areas during the monsoon season.
Meanwhile, two labourers were killed and two others rescued after a landslide struck near the Pine Grove area on the Ziro-Kamle road in Lower Subansiri district.
Heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in Upper Subansiri district, affecting over 100 families. The Sigin river, swollen from continuous downpours, overflowed and inundated several residential areas. The worst-hit localities include Sigin-I, Sigin-II, Sigin-III, Sinyik Colony, Polo Colony, Tikre Colony, and the burial ground area.
The district administration has issued an advisory urging people to take precautions and avoid low-lying areas during the ongoing spell of heavy rain.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Arunachal Pradesh, forecasting heavy rain likely to continue on May 31. The wet spell is expected to persist through June 1 to 5, with widespread rain across the state. The IMD has also flagged a moderate to high risk of flash floods in several districts, including East Kameng, East Siang, Dibang Valley, and West Kameng, over the next 24 hours.
Authorities have urged residents, particularly those living in low-lying and landslide-prone areas, to remain cautious and avoid non-essential travel. Disaster response teams have been placed on alert, while local administrations are closely monitoring the evolving situation.
Tripura
A person drowned in Jirania, and more than 200 people were rendered homeless after heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms hit Tripura over the last two days, according to State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reports shared on Saturday.
At least 106 houses were damaged, and around 207 people from 57 families took refuge in four relief camps.
The water level of the Howrah river at Agartala, under the Jawahar bridge, rose to 10.01 metres last evening, though the critical level is 10 metres, according to the latest inputs. “All the rivers are currently below critical level. We are coordinating with the water resource department and central water commission to closely monitor real-time water levels,” an SEOC official said.
Roads in Longtrai Valley in Dhalai district, Jirania and Mohanpur in West Tripura district, Jampuijala in Sepahijala district, and parts of Gomati and South Tripura districts were blocked due to fallen trees. A few roads have reportedly been cleared, though more details are awaited.
The IMD warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7–20 cm) and squally wind with speeds of 40–50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, at a few places across the remaining districts of the state today.
The Tripura government on Wednesday had issued an advisory to all district magistrates to begin preparations ahead of the natural calamity that might occur due to the low-pressure area created over the Northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast. All the district magistrates were asked to follow the advisories of the IMD, including assessing the situation on a regular basis, keeping the NDRF, SDRF, Tripura state rifles (TSR), fire and emergency services, trained volunteers, and quick response teams (QRT) on alert, and identifying locations where personnel may need to be deployed immediately.
Manipur
Following incessant rainfall for the past four days, the water level of other major rivers such as the Nambul, Iril, and Nambol is also flowing at warning levels. Many localities in Manipur’s Imphal East district, including offices and residential areas, were flooded on Saturday morning due to the overflowing of the Imphal River.
The IMD issued a red alert and predicted widespread light or moderate rainfall likely to continue over Manipur.
Many families residing along the Senapati river bank, including Viewland Colony in Senapati district headquarters, 60 km north of Imphal, were also evacuated to safer places due to flooding.
Officials stationed at the main flood control room of the water resource department said that they have received complaints of overflowing or cracking of riverbanks of the Imphal River at Khonghampat, Lamlong to Telipati, and the Singjamei area, etc.
Imphal West district received a record rainfall of 197.8 mm on Friday alone, leading to flash flooding in various parts of low-lying areas.
The regional MET centre in Guwahati said that the heavy rain is due to a depression over Bangladesh, which is slowly moving towards the northeast. There are predictions of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the five northeast states, with squally winds between speeds of 40–60 km/hr at some places.
Imphal West district recorded 197.8 mm of rainfall against Thursday’s 47.4 mm and received the highest rainfall among all the areas on Friday. Imphal West was followed by Tengnoupal (115 mm), Senapati (75.8 mm), and Tamenglong (55.4 mm), as per the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change’s daily weather reports available on Friday evening. Kamjong recorded maximum rainfall (106 mm), followed by Ukhrul (83.5 mm), Senapati (52.1 mm), and Tamenglong (50.8 mm), according to the Meteorological Centre Imphal’s Saturday morning reports.
