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At least four people were killed in a massive landslide in Guwahati amid heavy rain that flooded the city, officials said on Tuesday.
A huge mass of earth buried a house, with four people inside, on a hillside in Nijarapar in Boragaon area, an official of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority told PTI.
"The landslide happened around 1 am mainly due to incessant rain. No other person is trapped as of now," ASDMA district project officer (Kamrup Metropolitan) Kaustav Talukdar said.
With the fresh fatalities, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides across the state has gone up to 42.
ASDMA, in its daily flood bulletin, said that authorities have opened two relief camps in Guwahati city, where 617 people are taking shelter as of now.
With the regional meteorological centre in Guwahati predicting 'extremely heavy rainfall' over the next few days, the situation is expected to deteriorate further and more people are likely to throng the relief camps.
ASDMA said landslides have been reported from at least 19 places in and around the city, including Kamakhya, Kharghuli, Hengerabari, Silpukhuri, Uzan Bazar, Gandhi Basti and Chandmari Colony, but there were no casualties.
Incessant rain since Monday night created havoc in Guwahati, leading to knee-deep water logging on all major and minor roads across the city, while at some places water has touched the chest level.
The entrance and the approach road of the Guwahati railway station was totally submerged, inconveniencing passengers.
Scores of vehicles, including school buses, were stuck on the roads as their engines failed in the flood waters, which have also entered hundreds of houses in the city.
Massive traffic jams were reported from many areas with vehicles being stranded for several hours.
Flooding was reported from Zoo Road, RG Baruah Road, GS Road, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Hatigaon, Ganeshguri, Hedayetpur, MLA quarters in Dispur, Lachit Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Jyotikuchi, Ghoramara, VIP Road, Rajgarh Road, Jorabat and Chatribari, among other areas.
Residents of Nabin Nagar left their homes during early hours and came to the footpaths of Rajgarh in the heart of the city. They alleged that no one from the administration reached out to them and all of them, including the children, were without drinking water.
At least 10 boats have been deployed in various parts of Guwahati to rescue residents from flooded areas by the district administration, Fire and Emergency Services, police and SDRF personnel.
The Kamrup Metropolitan district administration has issued an advisory, asking people "not to venture out unless absolutely essential" in view of the incessant rain.
"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.
Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha ordered to close all schools, colleges and other educational institutes on Wednesday over prediction of incessant rains by the RMC.
The RMC has issued 'Red Alert' for Assam and Meghalaya and predicted up to isolated and scattered "extremely heavy rainfall" from Tuesday to Thursday, while 'Orange Alert' for Friday and Saturday.
"An eastwest trough runs from East Uttar Pradesh to Manipur across central parts of Bihar, Sub Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and Assam at mean sea level," it added.
The weather report said that moisture incursion is very likely to continue due to strong lower level winds from the Bay of Bengal to Northeast India from June 14-18.
"Under its influence, widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning/heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to continue over Northeastern states from June 14-18 2022," RMC said.
Meanwhile, ASDMA said that massive erosions have been witnessed in Bajali, Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur and Udalguri districts.
Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Barpeta, Cachar, Chirang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nalbari, South Salmara, Tamulpur, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar and Udalguri, it added.
The mighty Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks at Nimatighat in Jorhat district, ASDMA said.