At least 8 people have been killed in the deluge
\n NEW DELHI
\nMore than 400,000 people in northeastern India have been hit by deadly floods triggered by pre-monsoon downpours, authorities said on Wednesday, as they brace for more heavy rain.
\nRescue and evacuation efforts were ongoing as incessant rains and landslides affected communication lines, as well as road and railway networks in most of Assam state in the last few days.
\nAt least eight people have been killed by the floods, according to local media reports.
\n\u201cThe total number of people impacted is around 4 lakh (400,000),\u201d Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, chief executive at the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, told Arab News.
\n\u201cHopefully, we will be able to tackle this situation,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are ready for the worst possible scenario.\u201d
\nThe flooding has been worst in the districts of Cachar and Hojai.
\n\u201cIn Hojai district alone, at least 100 villages are submerged, which means more than 50 percent of villages are under water. At least 40,000 to 50,000 people in this area are impacted,\u201d Ashraful Amin, a social worker in the region, told Arab News.
\nHe estimated that around 70 percent of the people were still trapped in the flood zone. The military has already joined the rescue operation.
\n\u201cSince yesterday, we have been trying to reach out to the affected people on wooden boats,\u201d he said. \u201cThe army has started rescuing people today.\u201d
\nLandslides have cut off the southern part of the state from rail connectivity.
\n\u201cWe have 50 bridge points where landslides have damaged the tracks,\u201d Sabyasachi De, spokesperson for North Eastern Frontier Railway, said. \u201cThese are unprecedented landslides, cloudbursts and flash floods. We have not seen anything like this so far.\u201d
\nIndia\u2019s weather agency has issued a red alert notice for Assam, as heavy rain is expected in the region for the next three days.
\nMore rainfall is expected as monsoon downpours are yet to hit the region, R. K. Jenamani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department, told Arab News.
\n\u201cThe havoc has been caused by flash floods. It\u2019s not the normal monsoon,\u201d he said. \u201cThe monsoon has yet to hit India.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At least 8 people have been killed in the deluge NEW DELHI More than 400,000 people in northeastern India have been hit by deadly floods triggered by pre-monsoon downpours, authorities said on Wednesday, as they brace for more heavy rain. Rescue and evacuation efforts were ongoing as incessant rains and landslides affected communication lines, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-261293","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n