Flash floods in Garo hills districts of Meghalaya caused by torrential rainfall since Saturday have claimed at least 31 lives and caused massive landslides disrupting road links and hampering relief and rescue work.
Nine more people died in Mawbah area of Shillong on Tuesday due to landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the past few days.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told The Hindu that the actual death toll was still not known as many houses had been washed away and some affected villages remained cut off.
Unprecedented“We have never seen such devastation before. Many survivors have lost their belongings and many families have been displaced. We have not been able to make a full assessment. Relief materials have been sent to some villages. National Highway 51 connecting Tura town that connects National Highway 37 at Paikan in Assam’s Goalpara district has been damaged at several locations,” he said.
Official sources said 17 deaths due to landslides were reported in Kharkutta block in the worst-hit North Garo Hills district. In West Garo Hills, seven persons were missing while seven died in South West Garo Hills district. So far 28 relief camps have been opened in North Garo Hills district, about 25 in South West Garo Hills and eight in West Garo Hills.
The Chief Minister said that a cloud burst over Garo Hills districts was believed to have caused the unprecedented damage.
Dr. Sangma, who could not make the road journey on Monday through Assam as the communication along NH 37 remained disrupted due to flood in lower Assam’s Kamrup and Goalpara districts, reached Garo hills in a chopper on Tuesday. He said earth movers had been moved into affected areas to clear the debris and efforts were on to restore road communications.
