At least 30 people have lost their lives in the last two days as relentless rains triggered flash floods and landslides across several northeastern states, with Assam and Arunachal Pradesh bearing the brunt of the devastation.
On Saturday alone, 14 people were reported dead in fresh incidents across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram, even as authorities issued multiple weather alerts in view of the continuing downpour.
Assam: Five Killed, Record Rainfall in Guwahati
In Assam, five people died in separate landslides in the past 24 hours, all reported from the Kamrup Metropolitan district, which includes state capital Guwahati. Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah confirmed that three women were killed in the Bonda area on the city’s outskirts.
Guwahati recorded 111 mm of rainfall, breaking a 67-year-old record for the highest single-day rainfall in the city. The incessant downpour has caused rivers, including the Brahmaputra, to swell dangerously. Over 10,000 people across six districts have been affected by floods, with the overall impact extending to 60,000 people in 12 districts, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for several parts of Assam and orange and yellow alerts for the broader northeastern region, warning of more rain and possible flooding.
Arunachal Pradesh: Nine Dead, Including Seven From Two Families
In a particularly grim incident in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Kameng district, seven members of two families died when a Brezza car was swept into a deep gorge after a landslide struck the NH-13 stretch between Bana and Seppa late Friday night. Family members at the site have identified the deceased.
A Sumo vehicle narrowly escaped the disaster as it was stranded near the landslide zone but did not sustain casualties.
Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Mama Natung, who represents the area, expressed grief in a Facebook post, calling for caution and advising against night travel during the monsoon. “It’s very painful to hear about the tragic loss of seven lives in my Assembly constituency… May the departed souls rest in peace. Om Shanti,” he wrote.
In another incident in the state, two people — a man and a woman from Assam’s Lakhimpur district — were killed when a landslide hit the Cabbage Garden area and a nearby restaurant near Pine Grove in Ziro. They were working at the restaurant when torrential rain triggered the slide.
DySP Ojing Lego confirmed that their bodies were recovered and handed over to family members.
Rescue Ops Underway
Emergency services, including the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and local volunteers, have been deployed for rescue and relief operations in affected areas. Authorities are maintaining strict vigil on vulnerable stretches of highways and populated slopes as the monsoon progresses.
With rainfall continuing and the threat of more landslides looming, local governments across the northeast have urged residents to avoid travel unless necessary and to take precautionary measures in hilly regions.
