Guwahati, June 29: The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh turned grimmer on Monday with nine people, including the Gaon Burah (village headman) of Dambuk, reported missing after a rescue boat was swept away by the swollen Sisiri River in Lower Dibang Valley district.

According to reports, an inflated rubber boat carrying seven rescue personnel and three people who had already been rescued was caught in strong currents and swept away during rescue operations.

The district administration had deployed boats and even used three elephants to evacuate stranded residents as floodwaters continued to rise in the region.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also joined the rescue effort, with helicopters carrying out search and rescue operations since early morning in a bid to locate the missing persons and evacuate marooned residents.

The latest incident comes amid widespread flooding across Arunachal and neighbouring Assam following days of torrential rain and cloudbursts.

In Assam’s Dhemaji district, at least 15 people, along with nearly 100 cattle, remained stranded on Koraibari Char after a sudden rise in the water level of the Dikari River inundated vast stretches of the river island.

Officials said the overflowing river submerged low-lying areas, houses, roads and agricultural fields, cutting off communication to several villages in the Jonai subdivision.

“The stranded people have remained marooned since morning as the rapidly rising water level made it impossible for them to reach safer places,” an official said.

The flood situation in Koraibari Char continues to deteriorate, with rising waters triggering panic among residents. Several other parts of Jonai have also been affected, forcing many families to move to safer locations.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the devastating cloudburst that struck Keyi Panyor district in Arunachal Pradesh on June 24 has risen to three after rescuers recovered the body of the last missing person nearly 10 kilometres downstream from the disaster site on Sunday.

The cloudburst at Poosa had triggered flash floods and landslides, sweeping away 18 residential quarters of the NEEPCO colony and causing extensive damage to infrastructure and road networks.

Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Lobsang Tsering, who inspected restoration work on Sunday despite continuous rain, said the damage was extensive and estimated that it would take more than a week to reopen the affected highway.

The district administration has advised commuters to avoid all non-essential travel along the Hoj-Potin stretch due to unstable terrain and the continuing threat of fresh landslides.

With incessant rains continuing across large parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, authorities remain on high alert as swollen rivers, landslides and damaged infrastructure continue to pose serious risks across the region.

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