27 killed in Assam as floods wreak havoc across North-East - Online News

New Delhi: The flood situation in the North-East worsened on Friday with almost nine lakh people have been displaced and many others went missing. The worst hit is Assam where 27 people have been died and 21 districts remain affected. Heavy rains have also left large tracks of the Kaziranga National Park under water.

Incessant rains continued to lash many parts of the state resulting in alarming rise of water level of the Brahmaputra river in 23 of the 27 districts.

The flood scene was critical in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Nalbari, Barpeta and Dhubri districts where water has engulfed fresh areas of human habitation and cropland.

With the flood situation in Assam deteriorating, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the kin of each of those killed and directed the Defence Ministry to provide army assistance in rescue and relief. Singh called up the state’s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the condition in the state, a PMO statement said.
The Centre has deployed 15 teams of National Disaster Response Force comprising 548 personnel along with 60 boats and other necessary equipment to carry out rescue and relief operations in flood hit districts of Assam.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Air Force swimmers are at work to rescue people, while Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has demanded a central team to assess the damage caused to roads and property.

Situation is grim across the border too. Flash floods and mudslides have killed 110 people and left 250,000 stranded in Bangladesh. This is being seen as one of the heaviest rains the country has received in years. Rescue operations are underway with army, police and fire brigade personnel stepping in to get the situation under control.