3 killed, 2.50 lakh affected in floods, landslides in NE states

Guwahati/Itanagar, May 26 (IANS) At least three people died and over 2,50,000 people of over 350 villages were affected due to floods and landslides in three northeastern states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials in Itanagar said that a woman and her two children were buried alive when their house came under heavy landslide at Arzoo village in Dibang Valley district on Monday night. Incessant rain for the last couple of days triggered the landslides and floods that left trails of large scale devastation in the entire state.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed deep shock over the loss of three lives and announced immediate release of ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to next of kin of the deceased. In Assam, around two lakh people of 230 villages in seven districts have been affected in the first wave of floods in the state.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority officials said that National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams have already been deployed at 40 locations with equipments. In Meghalaya, incessant rain and cyclonic storms has wreaked havoc in parts of the mountainous state with over 2,000 people in 21 villages affected.

Meghalaya Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla said that five districts have been affected. Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission (CWC) of Jal Shakti Ministry on Tuesday issued a flood alert for the Brahmaputra river of Assam.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier on Tuesday also warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Several parts of Assam and neighbouring states have been receiving heavy rains since super cyclone Amphan weakened last week.

–IANS

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