Assam Flood Death Toll Rises to 97; Over 1.68 Lakh People Still Affected Across 15 Districts

Railway connectivity through Sivasagar has been restored after nearly two weeks as relief operations continue in flood-hit areas of Assam.

The flood situation in Assam remained critical on Friday, with the death toll rising to 97 after two more fatalities were reported. According to officials, more than 1.68 lakh people across 15 districts continue to be affected by the deluge, while relief and restoration efforts are ongoing.

In a major relief for commuters, railway connectivity through Sivasagar district, which had remained disrupted for nearly a fortnight after floodwaters damaged railway tracks, has now been restored, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said.

Two More Deaths Reported

Officials said the latest flood-related deaths were reported from Golaghat and Udalguri districts, taking the overall death toll from this year's floods in Assam to 97.

The districts currently affected by flooding are Golaghat, Sivasagar, Udalguri, Kamrup Metropolitan, Nagaon, Kamrup, Darrang, Sonitpur, Hojai, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Jorhat, Charaideo, Karbi Anglong, and Dhemaji.

Over 1.68 Lakh People Still Affected

More than 1.68 lakh people remain affected by floodwaters across the state. Golaghat is the worst-hit district, with nearly 54,000 people impacted, followed by Sivasagar with around 49,000 affected residents and Jorhat, where nearly 27,000 people continue to face the impact of the floods.

Officials said the number of affected people has increased from around 1.6 lakh across 14 districts reported on Wednesday.

Relief Camps Continue Operations

A total of 133 relief camps and distribution centres are currently operating across six districts, providing shelter and assistance to nearly 45,000 displaced people.

Floodwaters have also submerged 14,382.26 hectares of agricultural land. In addition, embankments, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure have suffered damage in several districts.

Railway Services Resume

Following the restoration of the damaged railway tracks, train services in parts of the state resumed in a limited manner from Thursday afternoon.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the development in a social media post, saying, “Glad to share that the flood-affected railway section between Selenghat-Amguri-Simaluguri-Sivasagar Town has been restored and made operational at 4 pm today. With this, direct train services between Guwahati and Dibrugarh via Lumding and Sivasagar can now resume.”

The Chief Minister also thanked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Northeast Frontier Railway authorities for restoring the crucial rail link connecting Upper Assam with the rest of the country.