india

Updated: Jul 18, 2019 01:51 IST

There was no let-up in the flood situation in Assam and Bihar on Wednesday, with the deluge claiming 44 more lives in the two states. The death toll soared to 67 in Bihar, double the count registered on Tuesday, and rose to 30 in Assam.

Bihar’s casualty figures rose since Tuesday, when the count was 33, with districts like Araria, Kishanganj and Sheohar sending reports. Figures are still awaited from Katihar, Saharsa and East Champaran. The number of affected persons in the state has been revised to 4.6 million.

A bulletin from the Central Water Commission showed water levels in Assam had risen in the districts of Dhubri, South Salmara, Barpeta, Goalpara, and Darrang, but the levels had stabilised in upper Assam districts of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. The number of affected districts is down by one, and stands at 29.

In all, over 5.57 million people have been affected by the floods in Assam.

The Bihar state disaster management department said that the water levels have begun to recede in the inundated areas and their focus has now shifted to prevention of outbreak of diseases.

Two persons were seriously injured and several parked vehicles damaged in a massive landslide on NH-415 which connects Arunachal Pradesh to Assam. Five excavators were pressed into service to clear the debris, and personnel from the State Disaster Response Force, the National Disaster Response Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the state police, assisted in the efforts.

Chief minister Pema Khandu assured government support to the injured.

In Bihar, the NDRF rescued a heavily pregnant woman from a remote village in Madhubani district cut off by the floods — the eighth such rescue since the floods began. Seema Devi, who was stuck in Naraur village, was moved in a boat to a health centre in Jhanjharpur where she delivered a baby girl.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, three children of a family were killed and three other members injured when the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rains.