14 July 2017•Update: 14 July 2017
By Abdul Gani
GUWAHATI, India
More than 80 people have died in flood and landslides due to torrential rain in the northeast, said Indian officials.
The damage caused by the rainfall is unprecedented, with a total of 58 districts hit by floods and landslides in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur over the last month.
Around 80 lives have been lost, said Jitendra Singh, the North Eastern Region’s development minister.
Local media, however, reported the death toll at 85. The casualties are likely to rise with more than 1.7 million people still reeling under water in Assam state alone, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
Tens of thousands of flood-affected people are taking shelter in makeshift relief camps on higher ground.
“We had a tough time here for the last several days in the camps. We have two kids and they are ill. We lost our cattle, which were swept away by floodwater,” Pradip Gogoi, a 40-year-old farmer at Majuli island in Assam, told Anadolu Agency.
Visiting flood-ravaged areas, Kiren Rijiju, minister of home for state affairs, assured all possible help from the government.
In Arunachal Pradesh, at least 14 people from four families were buried alive in landslide on July 11.
Turkey on Friday extended condolences to the bereaved relatives of those who lost their lives and to the government of India.
“We learned with sorrow that as a result of floods which took place in the Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh provinces of India, there were losses of life and injured people. We share the grief of the Indian people. We extend our sincere condolences to the bereaved relatives of those who lost their lives and to the friendly Government of India and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
