With 4 more deaths, northeast floods, landslides take 29 lives in 9 days

GUWAHATI: At least 29 people have lost their lives to nature’s fury in nine days in three northeastern states — Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh — which have been reeling under severe floods and landslides.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), four more deaths in floods have been reported on Saturday, which has taken Assam’s death toll to 18 (13 in floods and 5 in landslides), since May 14.Three people have died in Meghalaya flash floods since May 13, while eight people have died in flash floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh since May 16.
Assam, the worst-hit state, showed signs of returning to normal after the count of the affected population came down marginally on Sunday, to 6.8 lakh from 7.1 lakh on Friday. But the number of people taking shelter in relief camps remains almost the same, the ASDMA said.
In Arunachal, the body of a missing woman was recovered in Itanagar on Friday from the debris created by landslides. Bodies of two men were recovered from the same spot earlier, after a mudslide crushed their house. The bodies of two labourers, buried under debris after a landslide, were recovered in Itanagar on Monday. Three other people lost their lives in Kurung Kumey district earlier.
Meghalaya, which has received “large excessive” rainfall, has so far reported three deaths since Friday in East Khasi Hills district.
ASDMA on Saturday said the public health engineering department has been asked to make arrangements to supply sufficient water to over 4,000 pre-identified relief camps in the state.