Four persons died and seventeen others were left injured as heavy rain accompanied by strong winds in the wake of Cyclone Remal left a trail of destruction in Assam today, officials said.
According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the deaths were reported in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon and North Lakhipur district.
Kaushik Bordoloi Amphi, a 17-year-old student from the Dhupguri area in Morigaon district, was killed after a tree fell on the auto-rickshaw by which he was going to school on Tuesday morning. The other co-passenger and the driver somehow managed to escape with minor injuries. Morigaon district commissioner Devashish Sharma took stock of the incident and visited the family of the student.
Later, the district administration directed all educational institutions to remain closed till Wednesday.
Mintu Talukdar, aged 19, died in Nabajyoti Nagar in Satgaon area of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district when a tree fell on their house and his father was also injured.
A 60-year-old woman, identified as Labanya Kumari, was injured when a tree fell on her in Kamrup district. She later died in Gauhati Medical College Hospital.
Another person, Putul Gogoi, died in a landslide caused by incessant rain at the under-construction NHPC’s Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power project in Gerukamukh in Lakhimpur district, officials said.
In the meanwhile, 12 students of a private school sustained minor injuries at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district after a big tree fell on the school bus in which they were travelling on Tuesday morning. The students were later rescued by locals and the district administration.
Several houses were damaged in the Palashbari, Chaygaon, and Boko Revenue Circle areas. Many trees were uprooted, and the infrastructure of Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) was damaged in several places in Nagaon district.
Speaking to media, Simanta Kumar Das, Deputy Commissioner of Dima Hasao District, conveyed that the district administration has closed the Haflong-Silchar connecting road until June 1.
“Several landslide incidents have also been reported from various parts of the district. The rescue teams are in place. One part of the Haflong-Silchar road has been breached. We are monitoring the situation and have issued an alert message. As of now, there is no report of any casualties in the district,” Das said.
In a post, Assam police said, “In view of Cyclone Remal, F&ES Assam personnel, along with the SDRF, are quickly responding to clear fallen trees, debris, fight short circuit fires & provide timely assistance to ensure the safety of our citizens across the state.”
Cyclonic storm Remal made its landfall in Bangladesh’s coastal area on Sunday night.
The cyclone ‘Remal’ has moved nearly northward with a speed of 15 kmph over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal. According to the Kolkata Police, many areas of the city have been hard-hit by the severe cyclonic storm.
The severe cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ has weakened since making landfall last night and is expected to downgrade into a deep depression by the evening, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) announced on Monday.
