34 dead in four days in India’s northeast after heavy floods

At least 34 people have died in India’s northeastern region after heavy floods caused landslides over the last four days, authorities and media said on Monday (Jun 2), and the weather department predicted more heavy rain.

More than a thousand tourists trapped in the Himalayan state of Sikkim were being evacuated on Monday, a government statement said, and army rescue teams were pressed into service in Meghalaya state to rescue more than 500 people stranded in flooded areas.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, at least four members of a family were killed in a landslide in the northeastern district of Sylhet, while hundreds of shelters have been opened across the hilly districts of Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachhari on Sunday.

Authorities have warned of further landslides and flash floods, urging residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert.

India’s northeast and Bangladesh are prone to torrential rains that set off deadly landslides and flash floods, affecting millions of people every year.

Roads and houses in Assam’s Silchar city were flooded, visuals from news agency ANI showed, and fallen trees littered the roads.

“We are facing a lot of challenges. I have a child, their bed is submerged in water. What will we do in such a situation? We keep ourselves awake throughout the night,” Sonu Devi, a resident of Silchar, told ANI.

Source: Reuters

- Agencies