Four people died Tuesday in a landslide triggered by torrential showers in Guwahati’s Boragaon area. The dead, daily wage labourers, were sleeping in their rented accommodation when the landslide from an adjoining hillock buried them alive.
The incident happened at around 1 am in the morning, said an official from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. The dead bodies were later recovered by a team of the state disaster relief force.
Since June 13, incessant rainfall has convulsed the city leaving several low-lying neighborhoods inundated. Life in the city has come to a near standstill with several arterial roads submerged in waist-deep water.
Officials said that the situation continued to be alarming. Several landslides of varying degrees were reported in many parts of the city, though no other casualties have been recorded so far.
The Kamrup Metropolitan district administration on Tuesday issued an advisory, asking residents not to venture out “unless absolutely essential” in view of the prevailing situation. “If your residence is prone to water logging/landslides, please consider shifting to a safer location or please contact District Administration at 1077/ 86381 12297,” it tweeted.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati, has predicted “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the next two days in the city. Additionally, it has issued a “red alert” in all of Assam and Meghalaya.
Since March, 42 lives have been claimed by floods and landslides in Assam.
