Assam CM Updates on Residents Affected by Nepal Floods
Assam Chief Minister Addresses Flood Impact
The swollen Trishuli river following the recent flash floods in Nuwakot district, captured on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)
Guwahati, Aug 30: Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, stated on Sunday that the actual number of residents from Assam affected by the severe floods in Nepal may exceed current estimates.
“I suspect that many Assamese individuals may be in Nepal without the Assam government's awareness. As rescue operations continue, we will gradually gather more information about those present, and I will provide updates as they come in,” Sarma remarked during a press briefing at Lok Sewa Bhawan.
The Chief Minister noted that the state administration is maintaining communication with both the Nepalese government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), utilizing both formal and informal methods to locate stranded individuals and assist in their return.
He added that updates regarding the safety of Assam residents affected by the floods are still being received, including confirmations of safety for some individuals who were not initially listed.
“We recently received an email from Dr. Tirtha Chaliha's family confirming her safety. There are still a few individuals unaccounted for. Additionally, we learned from a release by the Government of India that Mrityunjoy Narzary has been rescued, even though he was not on our initial list,” he explained.
Sarma also mentioned that eight individuals whose safety has been confirmed are expected to return to India on Sunday.
“We received information yesterday evening about eight individuals. They will arrive in India at 5 PM today and will travel from Kathmandu to Siliguri by flight. Dhubri Police are en route to Siliguri to assist their return to Assam by this evening,” Sarma stated.
As per the latest report from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) dated August 30, 16 residents from Assam are reported missing or stranded in Nepal.
Among them, seven individuals, including Soneswar Narzary, Pankaj Barman, Samar Bezbaruah, Dr. Tirtha Chaliha, Silva Marak, Sarbison Marak, and Elipson Sangma, have been confirmed safe.
Nine others, including Rhituopurno Brahma, Montri Basumatary, Rahul Daimary, Shatadal Nath, Pankaj Naug, Arun Mahanta, Dr. Dipali Sarkar, Manash Kr Ghosh, and Birson Sangma, are still awaiting confirmation of their safety, according to the ASDMA report.
However, the number of confirmed safe residents from Assam has increased to nine, following confirmations of safety for Gautam Das and Gopal Debnath, whose names were not included in the latest ASDMA report.
Sarma's recent comments suggest that the number of affected individuals could increase further as new information is received from families, rescue teams, and government sources.
This outreach by the Assam government occurs amidst one of Nepal's most severe flood disasters in recent memory. As of Sunday, the death toll from the flash floods has reached 768, with rescue efforts ongoing for nearly 2,500 individuals reported missing five days after the catastrophe.