Flood situation in India's Assam turns grim as death toll reaches 35

New delhi, The flood situation in India s northeastern state of Assam turned grim on Tuesday as more than half a million people were rendered homeless...

New delhi, The flood situation in India's northeastern state of Assam turned grim on Tuesday as more than half a million people were rendered homeless after flood water entered their homes, said a state government official.

Major rivers in the state were said to be flowing much above their normal levels.

According to media reports, as many as 35 people had died this year alone in the state so far in flood-related incidents. Nearly 19 out of the total 35 districts in the state have been affected by the floods.

Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers were pressed into service to rescue people stuck in the flood-affected areas. In one such rescue operation on Tuesday, a Mi-17 IV helicopter of the IAF rescued 13 marooned survivors from a small island in the flooded river Brahmaputra, north of Dibrugarh in Assam, said the state's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Assam chief minister on Monday and enquired about the flood situation. "He assured me of full cooperation from the Government of India in this hour of crisis," said Sarma.