Heavy monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, with rescue operations underway in several districts as floods and landslides damaged roads, bridges and houses, claimed lives and disrupted connectivity across at least 12 districts.
In Lower Dibang Valley district, four people stranded on an island in Sisiri River in Dambuk area were rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Monday.
Heavy rainfall has also severely damaged the Roing-Anini road in Lower Dibang Valley district, with flash floods washing away roads and bridges at several locations.
Heavy rainfall has also severely damaged the Roing-Anini road in Lower Dibang Valley district, with flash floods washing away roads and bridges at several locations.
“The IAF also also carried out a flood relief operations in the Pitapool area of Arunachal Pradesh in challenging weather and terrain a couple of days ago,” an official source said.
“The mission delivered 350 kg of NDRF relief material, including a rescue boat and inducted NDRF personnel, enabling timely assistance to the local administration and affected populace,” he added.
In Anjaw district, an excavator operator was feared dead after a massive rock crushed the vehicle engaged in highway construction near Sarti village towards Walong on Sunday night.
Rescue operations were suspended overnight due to poor visibility and the risk of further rockfalls before resuming early Monday.
Police from the Walong Outpost and Hawai Police Station are assisting in the operation, while the affected road has been closed to traffic until debris clearance is completed. The operator’s condition was yet to be officially confirmed.
East Siang district remained on high alert as relentless rain triggered landslides, flash floods and road washouts, severely affecting connectivity.
Of the 11 major roads hit, only two have been reopened, while nine remain blocked or unsafe.
Meanwhile, search operations entered the sixth day on Monday for two persons still missing in the flash flood that struck Keyi Panyor district last Wednesday.
The death toll rose to three after the body of Saurabh Kumar Kharwar was recovered near Hawa Camp in adjoining Papum Pare district on Sunday.
Earlier, the bodies of a 35-year-old woman and another woman were recovered on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
Five people had gone missing after the flash flood devastated the NEEPCO colony at Poosa, damaging houses, roads and triggering landslides. Preliminary estimates indicate that around 30 houses were completely damaged or washed away in the colony, while another 10 houses were destroyed and 14 partially damaged in the Possa and Pitapool areas.
Altogether, 128 households have been affected, with 60 displaced people currently staying at a relief camp on the NEEPCO campus.
Arunachal Floods: IAF Delivers Relief, Rescues Stranded; 12 Districts Hit, Roads Washed Away
