Toll reaches 41 as Assam floods engulf 8 districts

The flood situation deteriorated sharply in Assam today, with the death toll reaching 41 and over one lakh people affected, authorities said.

According to the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three persons died in Dhemaji, Udalguri and Golaghat districts of the state today.

Till yesterday, 58,600 people were affected in five districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Sivasagar and Charaideo, with the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries flowing above the danger level, it said.

The deluge has spread to eight districts -- Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath (flash floods), Udalguri, Barpeta Golaghat, Sivasagar and Charaideo. Over 5,000 hectares of agricultural land have also been affected, the ASDMA said.

It said the district authorities were running 99 relief camps and distribution centres for over 21,000 people who have taken shelter there.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark in Jorhat, Sivasagar, town, Golaghat, Sonitpur and Barpeta, the agency said.

There are reports of embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure being damaged in Lakhimpur, Kamrup metropolitan, Sivasagar and Sonitpur districts, it added.