Five missing, 17 injured as flash floods and landslides disrupt Arunachal's western districts

Severe monsoon-induced floods and landslides have cut off six districts in western Arunachal Pradesh, disrupted road connectivity, left at least 17 people injured, and rendered five persons missing, according to an official statement issued by the Superintendent of Police, Keyi Panyor district, on June 24.

The affected districts include Upper Subansiri, Kamle, Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi and Keyi Panyor. Authorities said major landslides have occurred along several key road corridors, hampering movement and rescue operations.

The Kimin route has been badly affected, with landslides reported at KM 15, KM 21 and KM 23. A damage assessment is currently underway between KM 30 and KM 40. Officials said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has intensified restoration work and connectivity on the route is expected to be restored by Thursday afternoon.

Landslides have also been reported along the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR)-Hoj-Yazali National Highway. The Hoj bridge and junction, which provide a crucial link between Pakke Kessang and East Kameng districts, have been cut off. Restoration work is in progress, and authorities expect connectivity to be re-established by Thursday afternoon or evening.

The Highway Department is reportedly working round the clock to restore damaged road infrastructure and reopen blocked stretches.

Meanwhile, rescue teams have successfully evacuated two stranded individuals. One person, identified as Bishu Sinha, was rescued from the Yazali reservoir by personnel of the Keyi Panyor District Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Another scientist from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) was rescued from the affected national highway stretch.

In the flash flood incident at the NEEPCO Colony in Poosa, a total of 17 people sustained injuries. Of them, three are reported to be in critical condition. The critically injured were evacuated to Ziro for treatment. Due to road blockages at Pitapool, rescue personnel and local responders had to manually carry the patients across the damaged stretch before they could be transported by ambulance.

Authorities said five persons remain untraced following the flash flood at the NEEPCO Colony. The missing individuals have been identified as Elesh Marak (13), Balari Marak (30), Tao Anjina (46), Nirmala Gupta (35) and Sourav Kumar. Search and rescue operations are continuing.

The district administration has advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel and contact disaster response helplines if stranded. Citizens have also been urged not to panic and refrain from panic buying of essential commodities, including fuel, food items and LPG, as efforts continue to restore normalcy in the affected areas.