Floods Devastate Assam Villages
Flood survivors in India’s Assam state recalled desperate rescues on Friday after flash floods tore through villages and the state’s flood death toll rose to 80.
Footage captured in Nazira shows muddy floodwater swallowing homes, houses ripped apart, uprooted trees and debris scattered across fields.
Residents are seen shovelling thick sludge from damaged homes, while vehicles remain stranded and aid is handed out to families left with little.
Villager Sharvan Prasad said water in a nearby stream had been rising through the night after relentless rainfall, before bursting its banks and flooding surrounding areas on July 19.
“The water level rose to such a level that everything was submerged. The situation was such that no one was able to leave their house,” Prasad recalled.
Residents Carry Out Rescues
After taking his own family to higher ground by boat, Prasad was heading back when he heard people screaming for help.
He and friends from neighbouring villages raced into the flood zone.
“When we reached, we saw the situation was such that if there was a delay of even ten more minutes and people would have died. It would have been too late for them,” he recalled.
“We had six boats. Our brothers here decided that we have five or six villages here, so each person would take one boat and go to one village. That’s how we all went to every single village and rescued everyone from there,” he added.
Rescuer Kukin Das said around 2,000 homes stood in the area and nine people were killed.
“All the people who were here, you can see the river right in front of you, didn’t even get a chance to step out of their houses. The flood came with such speed that it swept away houses, people, and everything,” Das said.
Recovery After Disaster
Despite receiving food and other assistance, many displaced families are still living in tents along the roadside.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 80 people have died in this year’s floods, while around 210,000 remain affected across the state.
The Assam government has announced a six-month freeze on loan repayments for flood-hit residents. Free school textbooks are also being distributed to children who lost their educational materials.
More heavy rain has been forecast across Assam and other northeastern states, raising fears of further flooding and disruption.
Article by Viory
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