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Modi speaks to chief ministers, governor, assures support to flood-hit northeast
Assam has reported 11 deaths, Arunachal Pradesh 10, Meghalaya six, Mizoram five, Sikkim three, and Tripura once since heavy rain triggered floods and landslides across the region
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Sikkim counterpart, Prem Singh Tamang, and Manipur governor Ajay Bhalla on the flood situation in the northeast following heavy rainfall and assured all support to the affected states.
Over 550,000 people have been affected since heavy rain triggered floods and landslides across the region. Assam has reported 11 deaths, Arunachal Pradesh 10, Meghalaya six, Mizoram five, Sikkim three, and Tripura one.
A lieutenant colonel and five army personnel went missing after a landslide hit a military camp at Chhaten in North Sikkim late on Sunday evening. Three army personnel were killed in the incident.
Rescuers worked around the clock to locate the six missing personnel as rain continued. Hundreds of tourists were rescued from Sikkim’s Lachung on Monday. Four foreigners were among around 130 tourists stuck in Lachen. All bridges connecting Lachen have been washed away. Roads leading to a helipad were also closed.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority on Monday said that 515,039 people were affected across 22 of the state’s 35 districts. Over 12,600 hectares of crop area were flooded as the Brahmaputra, Barak, Burhidihing, Dhansiri, and Kopili rivers flowed over the danger mark at separate places.
In Mizoram, 60 houses were destroyed, and at least 84 roads were blocked. A landslide at the Sentezel stone quarry cut off the state’s southern districts, Lunglei, Lawngtlai, and Siaha.
Almost all major rivers in Manipur remained above the high flood mark after a six-day rainfall. Officials said floods impacted 56,516 people and damaged at least 10,477 houses.
In Arunachal Pradesh, 938 people across 156 villages were affected. As many as 10,813 people were sheltered at 66 relief camps in Tripura, even as the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in three districts.
