Floods, landslides kill 3 in Assam; over 56,000 people hit in 8 districts

Indian Air Force personnel evacuate 200 stranded train passengers from Ditokcherra on Lumding-Badarpur hill section

GUWAHATI

Floods and landslides have killed three persons and affected more than 56,000 people across eight districts of Assam since May 14. Three others were reported missing.

Flash floods and landslips damaged the hill railway section in Dima Hasao district at 26 locations, leaving more than 2,000 passengers stranded for more than 24 hours before some of them could be airlifted to safety.

Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said three persons, including a woman, were killed in a landslide in Dima Hasao district on Saturday. Three others, including a child, have gone missing in the adjoining Cachar district after heavy rainfall and floods.

Locals of Hokai Pungchi, a village 6 km from Dima Hasao district headquarters Haflong, had sought the help of defence personnel after a landslide flattened many houses. The bodies of three persons were later retrieved from the debris.

Flash floods washed away portions of roads, including a national highway in Dima Hasao district, besides an arterial railway track — the lifeline for southern Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

Several stretches of the railway track were covered by mud and stones that hurtled down the hills. Some railway bridges were also damaged.