Guwahati, July 22: Calling the ongoing deluge one of the most unprecedented flood disasters Assam has ever witnessed, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the State Government’s immediate priority is to rescue every stranded person, warning that the situation remains fluid with the possibility of more floodwaters flowing in over the coming days.

After visiting the worst-hit districts of Charaideo, Sivasagar and Jorhat, Sarma said the floods were unlike anything Assam had experienced in recent years, with several places witnessing inundation for the first time.

Explaining the cause of the disaster, the Chief Minister said a sudden cloudburst in Nagaland’s Mon district released a massive volume of water downstream. With the Brahmaputra already swollen by the monsoon, the river had little capacity to absorb the sudden surge, causing floodwaters to spill into towns and villages across Upper Assam. He cautioned that cloudburst-triggered floods often come in waves, and more water could still flow downstream, prompting authorities to remain on high alert.

“First, we must save lives. We are identifying and tracing people who are trapped so they can be shifted to safer places. Rehabilitation and restoration will follow,” Sarma said.

He admitted that rescue operations remain extremely challenging because of submerged roads, breached embankments and strong river currents. While many bodies have already been recovered, the Chief Minister said the situation continues to be extremely grim, with several people still feared missing.

The Army, NDRF, SDRF and other agencies have been deployed for rescue operations with support from the Centre. Sarma said the State Government is receiving all necessary assistance and would seek additional help if required.

The Chief Minister also assured affected families that critically ill and immobile people would be shifted to hospitals, while those who lost important documents in the floods would receive government assistance in obtaining fresh copies.

By Wednesday, the floods had affected over 7.27 lakh people across 25 districts, claimed 32 lives, left around 100 people feared missing, and washed away more than 400 houses. Sivasagar alone accounted for 14 deaths.

Describing it as an evolving crisis, Sarma said rescue operations would remain the government’s top priority until every stranded person is brought to safety. Only then, he said, would the focus shift to rebuilding homes, restoring damaged roads and bridges, and helping affected families recover from one of the worst flood disasters Assam has witnessed in recent history.