ITANAGAR : An IAF helicopter, State Disaster Response Force, and police personnel were deployed on Thursday for the search and rescue of four people who went missing following a flash flood triggered by incessant rain in Keyi Panyor district a day ago.
Efforts are also being made to reopen the roads blocked by debris brought in by the flash flood and landslides.
The flood struck the NEEPCO Colony area at Poosa in Keyi Panyor district on Wednesday morning, damaging houses, disrupting road connectivity and triggering landslides at several locations.
As many as six districts — Keyi Panyor, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri, Kamle and Upper Subansiri — have been cut off from the rest of the state due to heavy rainfall.
Landslides have also been reported on the Itanagar-Hoj-Yazali stretch of National Highway-13.
Despite difficult terrain and road blockages caused by landslides, search operations resumed on Thursday morning, with personnel of the district administration, police, SDRF, NEEPCO, ex-servicemen and local volunteers pressed into service, state Disaster Management Secretary Dani Sulu said.
An IAF helicopter was deployed to airlift additional SDRF personnel and equipment to the Pitapool area to strengthen the ongoing rescue efforts.
According to preliminary assessments, around 18 residential units in and around the NEEPCO Colony were damaged in the flood. A 35-year-old woman’s body was recovered on Wednesday, while 17 people sustained injuries.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said Thursday’s operation is focused on locating the four missing persons, and efforts are underway to restore road connectivity. Two excavators have been deployed to clear the sludge and boulders blocking the road towards Potin.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is continuing road clearance work from the Kimin side, while highway restoration is also progressing from the Hoj side.
The state home department said that continuous rainfall and landslides have blocked several key roads in Keyi Panyor and Papum Pare districts, including the Sagalee-Hoj route, Pitapool-Toru Road, Pitapool-Hoj Road and the Kimin Bypass at multiple locations.
Authorities have advised people to avoid the affected routes until normal connectivity is restored.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has assured the families affected by the calamity of the full support of his government. In a statement, he expressed deep distress over the losses caused by the disaster.
He said all agencies concerned have been fully mobilised and are actively engaged in rescue and relief operations. The state government is closely monitoring the situation and every possible effort is being made to provide rescue, relief and medical assistance to those affected, he added. (Source: PTI)
