Father's Heartbreaking Search for Missing Daughter After Assam Floods
A Father's Desperate Hope
Devaram Panikar with his eldest daughter waiting anxiously and searching for any information that could lead him to his missing younger daughter (AT Photo)
Nepalikhuti, Aug 4: Each day, Devaram Panikar awakens with the same wish that someone might provide news about his four-year-old daughter, Radhika.
More than two weeks have passed since the catastrophic floods on July 19 devastated Nepalikhuti in Upper Assam, and that hope is all he clings to.
The floodwaters that swept through the village took away both Devaram's wife and little Radhika in an instant, leaving a permanent void in their family. Although rescue teams later found his wife's body, Radhika remains missing.
For Devaram, the nightmare continues even as the waters recede.
"I have lost everything. I just want to see my daughter one last time. I tried to save my family, but no assistance arrived. That's how I lost my wife and my younger daughter," he said, fighting back tears.
The deluge on July 19 turned his world upside down. In the midst of the chaos, he could only save his elder daughter.
Since that day, both father and daughter have been attempting to piece their lives back together while grappling with the painful uncertainty surrounding Radhika's fate.
Locals in Nepalikhuti often see Devaram standing by the roadside, anxiously searching for any leads that might help him find his missing daughter.
With each passing day, the sorrow deepens for a father who refuses to abandon hope.
His story is just one of many personal tragedies resulting from the floods that devastated several districts in Upper Assam.
For families like Devaram's, the disaster did not conclude with the receding waters. It left behind sorrow, unanswered questions, and a void that no relief efforts can fill.
The tragedy unfolded as Assam continues to recover from one of the worst flooding events of the season.
The death toll in the state has now reached 87, with two additional fatalities reported, while nearly 130,000 individuals remain affected despite water levels dropping in most flooded areas.
Authorities have cautioned that the situation remains precarious. Recently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Yellow Alert for many regions in Nagaland, with rainfall anticipated to affect neighboring Assam districts such as Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat.