More drown in Indian floods
Seven more people have drowned in India’s northeastern states, taking the toll to 13 since a fresh wave of flooding and mudslides engulfed the region a week ago, police said on Friday.
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| Unrelenting floods create havoc |
Some 652,000 people have been displaced by the floods, a police spokesman said.
He said five people drowned in Assam state on Thursday, while two children were swept away by a strong current along the Brahmaputra river.
“The two children were drowned as their wooden boat capsized while trying to steer their way through a flooded stretch,” the spokesman said.
Embankments breached
At least five people died earlier — two each in Assam and Meghalaya, and a baby girl in Tripura — in flashfloods and mudslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains that began on June 27.
In Assam, the water level of the mighty Brahmaputra river was receding but it still breached several mud embankments on Thursday night submerging hundreds of villages, the state government said.
At least 17 of the total 24 districts in Assam have been hit by floods. The situation is still criticial in many places but if it does not rain for the next two to three days, the situation will improve, Assam Revenue Minister Mithias Tudu said.
At least 50 villages in neighbouring Tripura state have also been swamped by floodwaters, with three main rivers in spate following torrential rains in the past four days. More than 10,000 people have been left homeless in Tripura.