Dibrugarh: Four people remain missing more than 48 hours after a devastating flash flood struck Yazali, the headquarters of Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor district, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) joining the search and rescue operation.
IAF helicopters began conducting aerial sorties and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions on Thursday after weather conditions improved.
Search teams are looking for Elesh Marak, Baleria Marak, Tao Angina and Sourav Kumar. The body of Nirmala Gupta, one of the five people reported missing, was recovered on Wednesday evening.
Keyi Panyor Deputy Commissioner Sweti Nagarkoti said that despite continuous search operations by the district administration, police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), NEEPCO personnel and local volunteers, the four missing persons remain untraced.
“The body of Nirmala Gupta, wife of a VKV School teacher, was recovered by search teams on June 24 evening, the day the disaster struck the newly created district. Her body was airlifted by an IAF helicopter on Thursday afternoon to Gohpur in Assam for the last rites,” the deputy commissioner said.
Nagarkoti said clearing debris remains a major challenge, as Yazali has been cut off after multiple landslides blocked highways connecting the town from three directions.
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She added that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been unable to reach the affected area due to road blockades. At present, a 22-member SDRF team is carrying out ground search operations.
The flash flood struck the NEEPCO Colony area at Poosa on Tuesday morning, damaging houses, severing road connectivity and triggering landslides at multiple locations. Authorities are simultaneously working to restore connectivity by clearing roads blocked by debris, mud and boulders.
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