Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Arunachal Pradesh. Two separate tragedies occurred due to flash floods and landslides triggered by the downpour. Five soldiers went missing after two Army shelters were washed away by floods in the Dibang Valley district. Meanwhile, four people died in a landslide at a construction site in the Upper Subansiri district. Officials revealed on Saturday that these incidents took place on Friday evening following heavy rains.
A massive landslide occurred at the construction site of the Kiojaring-Baching road in the Upper Subansiri district, trapping several workers under the debris. Four individuals—Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari, and Babul Ali lost their lives in the incident. The District Disaster Management Officer stated that only Babul Ali’s body has been recovered so far, while search operations for the others are ongoing. Personnel from the Nacho Police Station have been deployed to the site, and teams from the Fire and Emergency Services in Daporijo have also been mobilized. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team is participating in the rescue operations.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains occurred at the Pasu Pani Army camp in the Dibang Valley district. As a result, two shelters belonging to the 5th Grenadiers were swept away by the floodwaters. Officials stated that a total of seven Army personnel were swept away; while two were rescued safely, five others went missing. The missing soldiers have been identified as Havildar Upender, Kundan, Vinod, Aditya, and Samunda.
The Army has deployed two search and rescue teams to locate the missing soldiers. Personnel from the 5th Grenadiers, the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the 62 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) are participating in the relief operations. Personnel from the Arunachal Pradesh Police, local volunteers, and the SDRF are also assisting in the search efforts. Another SDRF team has set out from Pasighat towards Anini to further strengthen the rescue operation. Relief and search operations are ongoing in both areas; however, officials noted that adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain are posing challenges for the rescue teams.