Thunderstorm, Heavy Rainfall In Parts Of Assam, IMD Says Downpour To Continue Over Northeast

The storm affected nearly 53,000 individuals across 919 villages in 22 districts, causing damage to 14,633 houses and over 10 hectares of cropland, revealed ASDMA CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi.

A woman attempts to salvage her belongings after her house was destroyed due to a hailstorm, at Boko in Kamrup district, Assam. ( Image Source :PTI )

Four persons have been killed and nearly 53,000 affected after a thunderstorm wreaked havoc in Assam, officials said on Monday. According to a state bulletin, the storm affected across 919 villages in 22 districts, causing damage to 14,633 houses and over 10 hectares of cropland. 

The storm, accompanied by heavy rainfall, swept through various parts of the state on Sunday evening, causing widespread destruction by uprooting trees, and electric poles, and damaging homes, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi told PTI.

Among the casualties, a woman named Sakhi Begum Laskar (30) from Sonai, Cachar, lost her life amid the storm, as confirmed by the ASDMA. Additionally, incidents of lightning claimed the lives of Pintu Chauhan (17) from Donka in West Karbi Anglong and Ruparam Basumatary (46) from Mazbat in Udalguri.

Six others sustained injuries from lightning strikes and were rushed to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

Furthermore, the loss of livestock was recorded, with three cows perishing. The storm's impact extended to various infrastructures such as huts, schools, shops, and Anganwadi centers, with numerous vehicles damaged due to fallen trees.

An official confirmed that hundreds of visitors were struck inside Garbhanga Reserve Forest near Guwahati till the early hours as uprooted trees blocked the entire road.

"The SDRF and district administration carried out rescue operations till around 3 am and cleared the road. Hundreds of people were visiting the forest as it was a Sunday," Tripathi said.

Due to uprooted trees and electric poles, many roads remained blocked until this morning, making it extremely difficult for people to get to their destinations.

Home Minister Assure Support To Assam, West Bengal And Manipur

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to assess the situation and assured full support. Similar conversations were held with the chief ministers of West Bengal and Manipur, offering assistance to address the severe losses incurred by the storms.

Shah also appealed to the BJP workers in these three states to provide all possible help to the affected people during this distress.

Sarma stated, "His assurance of full support and assistance for relief and rehabilitation on behalf of the Govt of India is deeply appreciated." The Chief Minister's Office wrote on X that  Sarma was continuously observing the effects of strong storms and rains, and the State Emergency Operation Center was in constant communication with all district administrations.

The storm also damaged the Guwahati airport's terminal building, resulting in a temporary halt to operations and the diversion of six flights to alternative locations.

Boat Capsizes In Assam's Brahmaputra River

A boat capsized in the Brahmaputra River in South Salmara-Mankachar district on Sunday night, resulting in the tragic death of a four-year-old child and the disappearance of two individuals. 

"A country boat sank at 5 pm yesterday at Nepurer Alga village while heading to Nepurer Alga ghat from Sishumara ghat. A child's body was recovered by locals and two people are missing," Tripathi stated, PTI reported.

He specified that Samin Mondal (4) has been identified as the deceased, while Kobat Ali Mondal (56) and Ismail Ali (8) remain unaccounted for. He noted that there were fifteen individuals onboard the boat, and with the help of locals, the remaining passengers managed to swim to safety.

"An SDRF team started a search operation this morning and deep divers from Dhubri and Goalpara districts also joined them. An NDRF team is en route to the site to assist in the rescue efforts," he added. The ASDMA is also deploying drones with pilots to aid in surveillance during the operation, the CEO further added.

IMD Confirms Rainfall Likely To Continue Over Northeast India

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted continued rainfall and thunderstorm activity in Northeast India until April 7. It also indicated the likelihood of heatwave conditions prevailing over parts of central and peninsular India from April 3 to 5. On Sunday, the IMD issued an 'Orange Alert', predicting "heavy to very heavy" rainfall across several northeastern states over the next five days.

According to a bulletin from the IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati, Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh were placed under alert for Sunday. These states are expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 km per hour. The RMC also issued a 'Yellow Alert' for these states for the following four days.

For Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, the weather agency initially issued a 'Yellow Alert' for Sunday and Monday but later withdrew the warning.