Flood situation critical in Assam, death toll 44; over 17 lakh people hit

Guwahati: The flood situation has taken a critical turn in Assam, affecting over 17 lakh people in 24 districts and taking the death toll to 44, officials said on Wednesday.

Five people were killed in separate incidents in the last 24 hours, officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said. 

The ASDMA said a total of 17,18,135 people were affected as on Wednesday.

A total of 294 relief camps housing over 31,000 people have been opened in the state. Over 2,000 people have been rescued even as teams carry out relief and rescue work.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday visited flood-hit Majuli district and inspected relief camps. 

The current wave of floods has affected over 48,000 people in the island and damaged 1,760 hectares of crops. The floods have rendered hundreds homeless.

Sonowal also visited the Kaziranga National Park and directed officials to maintain a close vigil on the movement of animals so that they don`t fall victims to poachers.

He said functionaries of five districts -- Nagaon, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, Sonitpur and Biswanath -- would report to the Forest Minister daily on the flood situation and the steps take to protect the animals.