ITANAGAR, June 25: The search and rescue operations for four people who went missing following a flash flood triggered by incessant rain in Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor district, were suspended for the day on Thursday evening, an official said.
The rescue efforts will resume on Friday morning, he said.
Despite extensive efforts conducted throughout the day, the missing persons could not be traced, State Disaster Management Secretary Dani Sulu said in a statement.
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An IAF helicopter was pressed into service to ferry State Disaster Response Force and police personnel to the district, besides evacuating stranded tourists and patients, officials said.
Efforts are also being made to reopen the roads blocked by debris brought in by the flash flood and landslides.
The flash flood struck the NEEPCO Colony area at Poosa in Keyi Panyor 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, the officials said.
Landslides have also been reported on the Itanagar-Hoj-Yazali stretch of National Highway-13.
Despite the 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, 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 found on Wednesday, while 17 people suffered 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.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the state government is closely monitoring the situation in Keyi Panyor district, with all agencies engaged in rescue, relief and restoration efforts.
He said the first road blockade from the Pitapool side and another near Possa Bridge have been cleared, improving access to the affected areas.
Efforts are underway to hand over the body of the deceased to the family members, the CM said in a social media post.
Khandu also announced ex gratia assistance to the family of the deceased and relief to the injured as per government norms.
He said 14 stranded tourists were airlifted from Ziro in Lower Subansiri district to Naharlagun, while evacuation of another 11 tourists and one patient from Daporijo in Upper Subansiri was completed.
Meanwhile, Governor K T Parnaik expressed grief over the death and prayed for the safe recovery of those still missing.
He directed the district administration and other agencies to remain on high alert, identify vulnerable locations, closely monitor weather conditions and issue timely advisories. (PTI)
