Fresh floods hit Arunachal as 1.49 lakh remain affected; Assam flood toll rises to 11, train services disrupted

Fresh floods triggered by incessant monsoon rains battered five districts of Arunachal Pradesh over the last 24 hours, while neighbouring Assam continued to grapple with rising rivers, disrupted train services and worsening flood conditions, even as heavy rain wreaked havoc in several other parts of the country.

According to the Arunachal Pradesh State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), fresh flood and rain-related incidents were reported from Siang, Papum Pare, West Kameng, Kamle and Lower Siang districts, affecting six administrative circles.

Flash floods inundated Kallek village in Siang district's Kebang circle. Heavy rainfall also caused damage in Balijan and Tarasso villages in Papum Pare district, Lish village in West Kameng, Yada village in Kamle, and Jipu village in Lower Siang.

The ongoing monsoon has so far affected nearly 1.49 lakh people across Arunachal Pradesh, with authorities continuing relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.

In Assam, one more flood-related death was reported from Charaideo district, taking the state's rain-related death toll to 11.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said over 3.10 lakh people remained affected across 758 villages in Biswanath, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts.

Several major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Dikhow, Desang and Dhansiri, continued to flow above the danger level. The Dikhow and Desang rivers crossed the "extreme flood level" at Sivasagar town and Nanglamoraghat respectively, while the Dhansiri River remained in a "severe flood situation" at Numaligarh in Golaghat district. The Brahmaputra at Neamatighat and the Buridihing at Khowang also remained in spate.

Floodwaters continued to disrupt rail connectivity in Upper Assam for the second consecutive day after tracks were submerged. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelled, diverted and short-terminated several trains while operating special services for stranded passengers.

Relief and rescue operations are being carried out jointly by the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and district administrations.

Meanwhile, in Nagaland, the death toll from flash floods and landslides in Mon district rose to nine after five more bodies were recovered. Four people remain missing as search operations continue. Preliminary assessments indicate that 7,460 people have been affected, while 64 houses across 93 villages in 10 districts have suffered damage.

Elsewhere, heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across northern India.

In Jammu and Kashmir, overflowing rivers and streams inundated residential areas, swept away shops and vehicles, and forced large-scale rescue operations. More than 23 people have died in rain-related incidents in the Jammu region since Sunday, while seven others remain missing.

In Himachal Pradesh, six houses were washed away in a cloudburst, though no casualties were reported. The India Meteorological Department's red alert prompted authorities to close schools and colleges in Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur, while landslides blocked sections of National Highway-5 in Kinnaur.

In Uttarakhand, authorities resumed the Char Dham Yatra after temporarily suspending it due to landslides and heavy rain. The Dehradun-Mussoorie road has also been reopened for light vehicles following restoration work.