Large swathes of low-lying areas across the north-eastern region, primarily Assam and Manipur’s Imphal Valley, continued to reel under floods, while the hills of Mizoram witnessed more landslides and mudslides during the past 24 hours.
The disasters since the last week of May have claimed 50 lives so far. Assam accounted for the highest number of deaths at 19, five of them in landslides in and around Guwahati, followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 12, six each in Meghalaya and Mizoram, three in Sikkim, two in Tripura, and one each in Manipur and Nagaland.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said two persons, including a minor, died on Wednesday (June 4, 2025), as the floods affected more than 6.79 lakh people – 46,309 more than the previous day – and damaged crops on 14,977.99 hectares across 21 districts.
Southern Assam’s Barak Valley, comprising the districts of Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi, remained the worst affected, accounting for 74% of the people impacted. According to the ASDMA bulletin, more than 1.53 lakh people have taken shelter across 405 relief camps and distribution centres.
In Manipur, the flood situation remained critical, with several rivers surpassing danger levels across the Imphal Valley. Officials said continuous heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours caused the Imphal River to rise to a critical level of 788.4 metres, 1.5 metres above the designated flood mark.
The Iril, Nambul, Thoubal, and other rivers were also flowing above flood levels.
The State Relief and Disaster Management Authority said over 1.6 lakh people have been affected across Manipur, while 35,245 houses and public infrastructure facilities have been damaged in 643 locations. At least 3,917 people were evacuated to safer areas, and 77 relief camps were established to shelter the displaced. The body of a 55-year-old man, swept away by the swollen Abulok River on Tuesday, was recovered.
In Mizoram, where schools reopened after four days of closure, officials reported 31 fresh landslides in the last 24 hours. No casualties were reported.
The State has so far recorded 675 landslides, mudslides, and landslips—constituting nearly 80% of all such rain-induced incidents reported across the north-eastern States, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Sikkim.
Army camp buried in Sikkim landslide
A Defence Ministry statement said that six individuals, including an Army officer and his wife — a retired Indian Air Force officer — were reported missing after a landslide struck a military camp at Chhaten in Mangan district, northern Sikkim, on June 1.
The missing include Lt. Col. Pritpal Singh Sandhu, retired Squadron Leader Aarti Sandhu, their daughter Amayra Sandhu, Subedar Dharamveer, Naik Sunilal Muchachary, and Sepoy Sainudheen P.K.
“Search operations continue with urgency to locate the six individuals still missing. The Army has deployed specialised teams and engineering equipment, but the ongoing efforts have been significantly hampered by extremely bad weather, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain,” the statement said.
Guwahati-based Defence spokesperson Lt. Col. Mahendra Rawat said Army teams have been operating in extreme weather conditions and hazardous terrain to assist locals and stranded tourists.
“Lachen village, the main hub for tourism in the region, has been completely cut off. The Army has established foot connectivity to the village and reached out to 113 stranded tourists, who will be evacuated soon,” he said.
Thirty tourists, including some foreign nationals, were airlifted by military helicopters on June 3 after a brief improvement in the weather.
Given the widespread damage caused by incessant rainfall, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has declared Mangan district a disaster zone.
Published – June 04, 2025 10:41 pm IST
