Assam floods: 21 killed in 24 hours as over 5.64 lakh people affected in 16 districts

At least 21 people were killed in the last 24 hours as floods ravage across Assam, bringing the death toll to 31. The flood situation has affected more than 5.64 lakh people across 16 districts. Search and rescue operations are being carried out by multiple agencies across the state. The floodwaters have also disrupted train services in the region for the second consecutive day, leading to cancellation or diversion of several trains.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 13 people lost their lives in Sivasagar district, five in Charaideo, two in Golaghat and one in Jorhat in the last 24 hours.

16 districts hit, villages submerged

The flood has affected over 5.64 lakh people across 16 districts including Golaghat, Kamrup, Hojai, Dibrugarh, Biswanath, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Nagaon, Charaideo, Kamrup (M), Jorhat, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar. According to data, floodwaters have submerged 872 villages and 24,210.35 hectares of crop area.

The worst-affected district is Sivasagar, where more than 3.59 lakh people are affected, followed by Jorhat with 87,662, Charaideo with 72,646, Dibrugarh with 18,615 and Golaghat with 16,799.

More than 1.14 lakh people have taken shelter in 273 relief camps and relief distribution centres established by district administrations in flood-hit areas.

Rescue operations

The Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and local authorities are continuing relief and rescue operations across the affected districts.

On July 19, the NDRF rescued five people from flood-affected Seleng Ghat near Seleng Tea Estate under the Teok Revenue Circle in Assam's Jorhat district after receiving an alert from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). The rescue operation was carried out by an NDRF team led by Inspector K.B. Nath under the supervision of Deputy Commandant N.K. Tiwari of the 1st Battalion.

During the operation, rescuers saved a young girl stranded on the roof of her submerged home, a man being swept away by strong flood currents, and three women trapped in rising floodwaters.

The team also found an elderly woman in critical condition, suffering from severe hypothermia after prolonged exposure to cold floodwater. All five victims were evacuated safely, provided immediate medical assistance, and shifted to a designated relief centre for further treatment and rehabilitation.
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