GUWAHATI: Five persons died in Assam on Monday in floods triggered by torrential rain, while a child was killed and three others were injured in a rain-induced landslide in Meghalaya.
The landslide occurred in a village under the Mawhati Assembly constituency in Ri-Bhoi district.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the five deaths in Assam, four in Jorhat and one in Karbi Anglong, took the state's flood toll to 10. Two others were reported missing, while nearly 3.63 lakh people were affected across 16 districts.
Five rivers, the Brahmaputra, Buridihing, Disang, Dikhou and Dhansiri, were flowing above the danger level at some locations. Sivasagar remained the worst-hit district, with floodwaters submerging vast areas.
At the direction of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, four Cabinet ministers visited flood-affected districts to oversee rescue and relief operations.
"I have directed officials to ensure adequate food grain supplies across all flood-affected areas. Every department has been placed on high alert and is working in full coordination to minimize the impact of the floods," Sarma said.
The Chief Minister's Office said rescue and relief operations were underway in the affected areas.
In Sivasagar, 510 people were rescued safely by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire & Emergency Services. Additional boats and Army helicopters were deployed to reach inaccessible areas during rescue operations.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NF Railway) said incessant heavy rainfall in the upstream catchment areas caused the Dikhow River to overflow, leading to severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Sivasagar district. Several trains were cancelled, diverted or short-terminated.
"The floodwaters have inundated the Simaluguri station yard, railway tracks, railway colony and adjoining areas. Water has also overtopped the railway track in the Simaluguri section," NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall activity is expected to continue across Assam over the next two days.
"The highest rainfall activity is expected over eastern Assam, where widespread rainfall is forecast over Golaghat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, while most remaining districts are likely to receive fairly widespread rainfall," a government statement said.
Meanwhile, the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority warned of widespread thunderstorms and intermittent rainfall across the state over the next four days.
Eight people were killed in rain-induced landslides in Nagaland's Mon district on Sunday.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio visited Mon on Monday to assess the situation on the ground. He met community leaders, reviewed restoration work and also conducted an aerial survey of Tizit and Tuli, which were also affected.