Six dead, 3.5 lakh affected as Assam flood situation deteriorates

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Friday as six people died and over 3.5 lakh people remained affected in 11 districts, while road and rail communication was disrupted following incessant rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, officials said.

Three people died in Cachar, two in Hailakandi and one in Karbi Anglong, taking the total death toll to 12 due to floods, rain and storms in the state since May 28.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the the state of the Centre's help to deal with the situation while Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the flood situation in the state.

"Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji telephoned me to enquire about the flood situation in various parts of Assam, following the impact of Cyclone Remal," Sarma posted on X.

He said Shah has "assured us the complete support of the Government of India in these trying times. We are grateful for his proactive efforts".

A total of 3,49,045 people have been affected in the districts of Karbi Anglong, Dhemaji, Hojai, Cachar, Karimganj, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Hailakandi, Golaghat, West Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, officials said.

Cachar district is the worst hit with 1,19,997 people affected, followed by Nagaon (78,756), Hojai (77,030) and Karimganj (52,684).

Altogether 28,317 affected people have taken shelter in 187 relief camps, including 15,626 in Cachar, 5,308 in Hojai, 3,937 in Karimganj and 2,706 in Hailakandi, they said.

Rescue teams evacuated 615 people to safety, including 255 in Hojai, 152 in Cachar, 90 in Karimganj and 75 in Nagaon.

Swirling flood waters also damaged 11 roads and breached three embankments while urban flooding was reported from Kamrup, Cachar and Jorhat.

Rail and road communication have been severely disrupted in Barak Valley with the water of River Barak flowing above the danger mark, inundating several areas of Silchar town, including the railway station in Tarapur area.

The railway station was flooded and train services to Silchar, the largest town in Barak Valley, have been either cancelled or short-terminated, a North East Frontier Railway spokesperson said.

The Silchar-Guwahati Express and the Silchar-Rangiya Express were cancelled on Friday and Saturday from both sides.

Six more trains were cancelled on Friday due to high water levels and speed restrictions between Jugijan and Jamunamukh stations in Lumding division, he said.

Barak Valley's three districts -- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj -- along with Dima Hasao and Hojai are among the worst hit in the current spate of floods in the state.

Road communication of Barak Valley with other parts of the state and the region have also been disrupted with vehicles stranded as 20 metres of road in National Highway 6 was washed away by heavy rain in Lumslum area of Meghalaya.

In Dima Hasao, normal life has been affected due to relentless rain, severely impacting road connectivity throughout the district.

The Haflong-Silchar road has been completely cut off after a section was washed away near Harangajao, while the Haflong-Harangajao route has been blocked by multiple landslides.

Train services, which were either canceled or short-terminated due to landslides along the Haflong-Badarpur rail route, were yet to be restored, officials said.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has entered Assam and other northeastern states ahead of its scheduled time due to the effect of Cyclone Remal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

The IMD has warned of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Dibrugarh, Karimganj, Cachar, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao, Dhubri and South Salmara districts over the next two days.