6 more dead as floods worsen across Assam

Floods also continue to wreak havoc in North Bihar districts as most of the rivers originating from Himalayan regions of Nepal have been maintaining rising trends.

Six more people died in rain-related incidents in Assam on Monday even as the flooding submerged 95% of the Kaziranga national park and tiger reserve, an official bulletin said. Flooding has, so far, killed nearly 50 people in the state.

Villagers cross a flooded area on a boat at Bagmari village near Kaziranga in Nagaon district on Monday. (PTI Photo)

According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the worsening the flood situation has so far affected over 2.1 million people in 27 of the state’s 33 districts. Over 60,000 people uprooted by floods are taking shelter in 480 relief camps, the bulletin added.

On Monday morning, a sub-adult male tiger came out of the Kaziranga park’s Agratoli range and took shelter in a goat shed in Kandolimari village located in the periphery of the world’s largest habitat for one-horned rhinos.

“Due to rise of water and to find a safe escape, a sub-adult tiger has entered inside a goat shed in Kandolimari village, Agratoli. Utmost care is being taken to ensure safety of both people and tiger,” P Sivakumar, director of the national park, informed.

WRD minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said round the clock vigil was being maintaining by engineers and supporting staff of the department to keep the embankments safe.

“All officials and engineers have been put on high alert in view of likely rains in Nepal region,” said the minister.

Officials said that Bagmati, which had wreaked havoc in Sitamarhi and Sheohar districts by snapping vehicular traffic on the connecting highway, is rising menacingly at Benibad in Muzaffarpur district.