Meghalaya: Four children and one woman from the Tikrikilla Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block died in the floodwaters in West Garo Hills district.
Meghalaya flood kills 5
Meghalaya: While more than 1.5 lakh people have been affected by flood in Meghalaya, 5 people have reportedly died in the surging floodwater in the plain belt of West Garo Hills district. All the victims, four children and one woman were from the Tikrikilla Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block in WGH.
The drowning of four children took place on July 15th at 5.30 pm in Dhapangpara village near Tikrikila. They have been identified as Anush Rabha (6), Urushmita Rabha (5), Shruti Rabha (5) and Hemraj Rabha (5).
Villagers rushed to Tikrikila PHC upon witnessing the incident but the children died before reaching the hospital. According to West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police, Dr MGR Kumar it was a case of accidental drowning. He also says that the police department has handed over the bodies to the families after the completion of all formalities.
The other victim who was a woman, who was carried away by the raging currents when she was trying to cross a river to safety along with her family.
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After these two incidents, the WGH district administration prepares themselves for rescue operations and sensitizes people on safety and security measures. Dr Kumar informs that the Fire and Emergency Service Team have been deployed for any search and rescue required.
Locals and various NGOs seek the deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel in the affected areas to assist with rescue operations. They also demanded boats for communication purposes in the flood-affected areas.
Meanwhile, millions in the Northeast are dealing with severe flooding. In Assam, the Brahmaputra river along with eight other rivers are overflowing at a dangerous level, while India Meteorological Department forecasts more rain in the upcoming days. Till now floodwaters have submerged over 3,300 villages, destroying 1.28 lakh hectares of crop in the process, as per the Assam disaster management authority. Around 34 lakh people over 33 districts are displaced due to the flood in Assam. 80 per cent of Kaziranga National Park has been inundated by the flood due to which 51 wild animals die.
