GUWAHATI
\nFloods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people over the last two weeks in India\u2019s northeast, where more than 300,000 have been displaced from their submerged homes, authorities said on Tuesday.
\nThe Indian army and air force have been assisting with rescue efforts in Assam, one of the worst-hit states, where a military helicopter flew early Tuesday morning 13 fishermen to safety after being stranded for four days on a small island on the Brahmaputra, one of Asia\u2019s largest rivers, officials said.
\nThe Brahmaputra River, which flows 1,280 kilometers (800 miles) across Assam state before running through Bangladesh, overflows annually. However, this year, increased rainfall has made the river \u2014 already known for its powerful, unpredictable flow \u2014 even more dangerous to live near or on one of the more than 2,000 island villages in the middle of it.
\nIn neighboring Arunachal Pradesh state, which borders China, landslides have wiped out several roads. Army troopers there rescued 70 students and teachers from a flooded school in Changlang district, police said. Similarly, heavy flooding in the states of Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya swept away roads and collapsed bridges.
\nSo far, more than 80 people across six northeastern states have died since the end of May due to floods and mudslides brought on by the rains, according to official figures.
\nBack in Assam, animals at the famed Kaziranga National Park, home to some 2,500 one-horned Rhinos, are moving to higher ground to escape the floods.
\nPark rangers are monitoring their movements to ensure their safety, the state\u2019s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
\nDisasters caused by landslides and floods are common in the country\u2019s northeast region during the June-September monsoon season. India, and Assam state in particular, is seen as one of the world\u2019s most vulnerable regions to climate change because of more intense rain and floods, according to a 2021 report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based climate think tank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GUWAHATI Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people over the last two weeks in India\u2019s northeast, where more than 300,000 have been displaced from their submerged homes, authorities said on Tuesday. The Indian army and air force have been assisting with rescue efforts in Assam, one of the worst-hit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-416084","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n