Flash floods batter Northeast; 12 killed

At least 12 people were killed as a heavy and incessant downpour wreaked havoc in parts of Northeast on Tuesday. The flash floods claimed 10 lives in Mizoram’s Lunglei district, which shares its border with Bangladesh. Two others were electrocuted on a flooded road in Assam capital Guwahati.  

Mizoram officials said the body of only one deceased person could be recovered. The State has been witnessing heavy rainfall from Sunday and the Karnafulu river and all its tributaries are witnessing a spate.  

Nearly 450 houses have been submerged or damaged by the floods and landslides,” State health minister Lal Thanzara told. “Besides Lunglei, Aizawl and Serchip districts have been severely affected. In Aizawl, about 50 families who have been hit by the landslides have been evacuated,” he added. The National Highway 54 — lifeline of the State — has been cut off at many places due to landslides, officials said.

“The rains and landslides have badly affected communication and road connectivity. The State’s disaster management authorities have swung into action



and all measures are being taken to evacuate the affected and provide relief to them,” ruling Congress spokesperson David Sangliana said.

The victims of electrocution in Guwahati were a Class VIII student and a rickshaw puller. They died as their rickshaw came in contact with a live wire in the flooded Zoo Road area. “Additional Deputy Commissioner Palash Pratim Bora has been entrusted to probe the incident and submit a report,” said Deputy Commissioner (district magistrate) M Angamuthu. According to official sources, the water level in most rivers, including the Brahmaputra, is rising.

Guwahati, the gateway to the Northeast, remained flooded due to incessant rains and resultant waterlogging since Monday night. Most localities, including the MLAs’ Hostel where the legislators reside, were inundated. In Manipur, the rains flooded many localities of Imphal Valley on Tuesday.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rain or thundershowers are likely to occur over all states in the Northeast in the next 72 hours.