At least 30 people have died in northeastern India as rain caused flooding, landslide | Weather News

The relentless monsoon rains across the northeastern states leave a mark of death and destruction.

At least 30 people have been killed in northeastern India after India’s rain caused floods and landslides over the weekend, Indian officials and media reports say.

Authorities said on Sunday that at least eight people were killed in Assam and nine more people were killed in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, many of whom were buried beneath the Earth, and the trash was removed by heavy rain.

Three members of one family were killed in a landslide in Guwahati, Assam, officials said heavy rain led to flooding in many parts of the city, leading to long blackouts, prompting authorities to close schools and universities on Saturday.

Authorities have cut power in several regions to reduce the risk of electric shock, Assam Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Salma said.

In Mizoram, five people died in landslides, while six others died in Meghalaya. Officials from Nagaland and Tripura also confirmed two deaths.

Meghalaya Prime Minister Conrad K Sangma has ordered the emergency team to remain vigilant “particularly in landslides and low areas,” he warned in an official statement.

The Indian military launched a massive rescue operation in Manipur, evacuating hundreds of people. “People have been moved to safer places,” the Army said. “Food, water and essential medicines were provided.”

The downpour has been ongoing for three consecutive days, and India’s Meteorological Agency has issued a red warning to several northeastern districts, predicting more heavy rain in the region in the coming days.

Rivers throughout the region, including Brahmaputra, originating from the Himalayas and flowing into Bangladesh through India, have violated banks, submerged in vast areas, blocking access to many communities.

Floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season in India from June to September. This is essential to agriculture, but often fatal. Dozens of people die each year when rainfall overwhelms vulnerable infrastructure in the world’s most populous country.

Last month, Mumbai was soaked in the rain almost two weeks before its normal start, and the monsoon, which arrived in the western Maharashtra capital for more than 20 years, according to weather officials.

Scientists say climate change is changing weather patterns in South Asia, but the exact impact on the monsoon system remains unknown.