Twelve die as heavy rain lashes Tripura, thousands take shelter at relief camps

Agartala, Aug 22 (PTI) At least 12 people died and two others went missing in Tripura following heavy rainfall in the past few days, a senior official said.

As many as 65,400 people have taken shelter at 450 relief camps in the state as their houses were damaged due to the downpour, he said.

The water level of rivers is above the danger mark in Dhalai, Khowai, South Tripura, West Tripura, North Tripura and Unakoti districts, said Brijesh Pandey, Secretary, Revenue Department.

“So far, 12 people have lost lives and two persons are missing. Preliminary reports suggest extensive damage to physical infrastructure and agriculture crops along with damage to houses and livestock. The actual figures will be known after a field assessment is conducted,” he said at a press conference.

Around 17 lakh people have been affected in the northeastern state, the official said.

Pandey said landslides were reported from 2,032 places, out of which 1,789 have been cleared, while restoration work is underway at the other spots.

“Erosion to roads occurred at 1,952 locations,” he said.

He said the Centre has provided two helicopters for airlifting stranded people in Gomati and South Tripura districts.

Over 750 people have been evacuated all over the state, the Assam Rifles said in a release.

“Riflewomen of Assam Rifles are leading the relief and rescue operations in Tripura. Four rescue columns were launched in various parts of the state, including East Kanchanbari, Kumarghat, Unakoti district, Amarpur of Gomati district, Bishalgarh, Sepahijala and Tripura West,” it said.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at many places in Tripura on Thursday and Friday.

All educational institutions across the state will remain closed on Friday due to the inclement weather, an official order said.