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Floods wreak havoc in Assam, Bihar; over 1 crore affected, 114 dead

The swollen rivers in the two states have washed down villages, towns and livelihoods in the two states.

floods, assam floods, bihar floods, floods in assam, monsoon rains, kaziranga floods, assam flood fury, flood death toll In Assam, over 54 lakh people were hit as floods claimed nine more human lives, taking the number of those dead during the current spell of monsoon rage to 36. (AP Photo)

The flood fury in Bihar and Assam has left over one crore people in the throes of despair, even as the death toll climbed to 114. The swollen rivers in the two states have washed down villages, towns and livelihoods in the two states, reported PTI.

In Bihar, the death toll from floods shot up to 78, with 11 more casualties reported during the last 24 hours. Altogether 18 people have died in Sitamarhi district alone on the Indo-Nepal border, the news agency reported. Over the last few days, the state is grappling with flash floods caused by torrential rain in Nepal.

In Assam, over 54 lakh people were affected as floods claimed nine more lives, taking the number of those dead during the current spell of monsoon rage to 36.

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The northeastern state also witnessed a tiger taking shelter inside a house near Kaziranga National Park. An image of the big feline “relaxing” inside a house left many amused. As per reports, the tiger had apparently strayed out of the flooded national park and entered the house along National Highway 37. The Wildlife Trust of India shared pictures of the tiger on Twitter.

More than 2.26 lakh displaced people were taking shelter in 1080 relief camps, with large areas of 28 of the state’s 33 districts affected.

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Besides this, the state administration is also running 689 relief distribution centres where essential items like food, potable water, baby food, medicines, mosquito repellants, sanitary napkins and fodder are being provided.

Of the nine deaths reported Thursday, three were from Morigaon, two in Biswanath, and one each from Sonitpur, Udalguri, Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said. Barpeta district was the worst hit with 13.48 lakh people facing the wrath of nature.

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Over 4,000 houses were damaged across the state where rampaging waters swept away 130 animals, besides affecting many more, including 23 lakh poultry. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams were working round the clock to evacuate those marooned.

The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries were in spate, including in the state capital Guwahati. Several other rivers were flowing above the danger mark.

The floodwaters also engulfed vast countryside in 12 districts of Bihar, where people were seen trying to find their way to safety with bamboo sticks in hand.

In rural Darbhanga, several villages were marooned, many of them empty with the inhabitants having fled to the relative safety of relief camps. While Sitamarhi accounted for 18 deaths, 14 people have died in Madhubani, 12 in Araria and nine each in Sheohar and Darbhanga. Seven lives were lost in Purnea, four in Kishanganj and three in Supaul.

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However, no casualties have been reported from flood-hit Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Katihar districts so far.

(With PTI)

First uploaded on: 18-07-2019 at 22:31 IST
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