Rescue Efforts Underway for Missing Individuals After Flash Flood in Itanagar
Ongoing Search Operations in Keyi Panyor District
Rescue operations continue as multiple agencies try to find the four missing individuals (Photo: AT)
Itanagar, June 27: Search and rescue teams are actively working to find four individuals who disappeared following a severe flash flood that hit Possa in the Keyi Panyor district on June 24.
Disaster Management Secretary Dani Salu reported that the search operations were halted at 6:35 PM on Friday and are set to resume on Saturday.
Multiple agencies are conducting rescue efforts despite challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions. Authorities have mobilized all available resources to locate the missing individuals as quickly as possible.
Additionally, two medical teams have been dispatched to offer healthcare support to stranded residents and those injured during the flash flood and subsequent landslides.
One team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which includes a doctor, nurse assistants, and support staff, along with another team from the District Medical Department, Yupia, departed from Lal Mitt near Hoj on Friday morning to reach the affected regions. Local guides are accompanying both teams.
A preliminary assessment of the damage indicates significant destruction in the flood-affected areas.
In the NEEPCO Colony, 54 houses, comprising 108 residential units, have been impacted. Of these, 30 houses were either completely destroyed or swept away by the floodwaters.
The disaster has affected 108 households, involving approximately 350 individuals. A relief camp has been set up within the NEEPCO Colony, currently housing around 60 residents.
Rescue teams initiated raft operations from the dam side of the Panyor Lower Hydroelectric Project on Friday morning to search for the missing individuals from NEEPCO Colony following the flash flood caused by continuous rainfall on Wednesday. The body of a 35-year-old woman was recovered that day, while 17 others were reported injured.
Moreover, a medical team from the Papum Pare district and an NDRF rescue team were sent to provide emergency care and, if necessary, evacuate four workers injured in a landslide near a stone crusher plant close to the Keyi Panyor welcome gate on Thursday evening. The workers were hurt when a landslide struck their campsite while they were asleep.
A statement from NEEPCO indicates that the preliminary assessment suggests the incident was caused by localized heavy rainfall and was not due to any sudden increase in river flow from upstream. The incident was unrelated to the operation of the reservoir and powerhouse of the project, and no downstream areas have been affected as a result.