Northeast weather-beaten: Flash floods, heavy rainfall claim seventeen lives

The total number of persons losing their lives has gone up to seven in Assam, in the first wave of flood this year.

New Delhi: The northeastern states of the country have been weather-beaten by heavy rains and flash floods, with at least 17 people losing their lives to the violent toss of nature. Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram remain the worst hit states. Assam According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority, four people lost their lives in flood and landslide related incidents during the past 24 hours. While one person each died at Sadar and Lakhipur revenue circles in Cachar district, one person lost his life at Lanka in Hojai, it added. Heavy rainfall triggered landslide at Mahur, Harangajao and Maibang under Haflong revenue circle in Dima Hasao, where one person lost his life, the ASDMA said. With this, the total number of persons losing their lives has gone up to seven in the first wave of flood this year. The ASDMA said over 4.25 lakh people have been affected in Assam's Hojai, Karbi Anglong East, Karbi Anglong West, Golaghat, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar districts. Due to landslide between the Bandarkhal and Damchara station, rail movement continued to remain suspended in the Lumding-Badarpur section, Northeast Frontier Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said. The ASDMA said authorities are running 213 relief camps and distribution centres in five districts, where 1,00,010 people have taken shelter. Nearly 350 people have been evacuated to safer places during the last 24 hours by the SDRF and NDRF personnel from Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cacahar. Landslides have taken place at three locations in Guwahati city, but no casualties has been reported so far. Manipur: In Manipur, one person died in Imphal West district, official sources said. However, the intensity of rainfall decreased in Imphal this morning, but the situation was yet to improve in the valley districts of Thoubal, Imphal West and Bishnupur, they said. A fisherman drowned in a swollen river in Imphal West district yesterday, a report issued by the Relief and Disaster Management Department noted, adding that more than 1.8 lakh people have been affected by the floods. The number of damaged houses across the state has increased to 22,624 yesterday from 12,500 on Thursday, necessitating the setting up of 48 new relief camps, it said. Tripura: The flood situation has slightly improved in Tripura even as over 40,000 people continue to remain stranded in 189 relief camps across the state, the sources said. Mizoram The flood situation also improved in Mizoram with the water level of river Tlawng and Langkaih receding, officials said. Disaster Management and Rehabilitation department officials said though the water level of Tlawng and Langkaih river in Lunglei district has started receding, but 500 families were displaced and a number of houses were still under the water. (With PTI inputs)