Heavy rain continues to cause floods and landslides in northern and northeastern India, resulting in at least 11 deaths and impacting hundreds of thousands of people, according to officials from two affected states on Tuesday.
In the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, where torrential rains have occurred, nine people died in rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours, as stated in an official bulletin. Meanwhile, in the northeastern state of Assam, which has experienced a second wave of flooding since June 16, two people died on Monday. This flood has affected over 600,000 people across 19 districts and displaced more than 8,000, according to a state disaster management statement. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, home to nearly 2,200 one-horned rhinos, or two-thirds of the global population, is also underwater, with more than half of its 233 camps flooded, leading to the drowning of four hog deer, officials reported.
Local resident Faizul Islam described the situation, saying, "The flood water has now entered my house. The water has damaged my paddy and crops. I have a family of five and I have to take shelter here. If the situation worsens, I will lose my house." Visuals from ANI showed flooded fields and roads across Assam, as people moved precious belongings and furniture from their water-filled homes.
In the northeastern region of neighboring Bangladesh, the flood situation was rapidly deteriorating due to continuous rain and upstream water flow from India, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded, officials said on Tuesday. Authorities used loudspeakers in the southeastern region of Chittagong to warn residents about the high risk of landslides caused by heavy rains and offered assistance in evacuations, according to government official Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakruzzaman.
India's northeast and Bangladesh have been severely affected by floods over the past two months, leaving millions stranded, with weather authorities predicting that the situation could worsen. In Assam's neighboring state of Arunachal Pradesh, which also borders China, incessant rain has led to the closure of schools in its capital Itanagar until the end of this week, local officials said. More rain is forecasted for the region over the next three days, according to the country's weather office. India's weather department issued warnings on Tuesday for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across western, northern, and northeastern states for the remainder of this week.
