Over 40 lakh hit as flood ravages Assam & Bihar

New Delhi: As Assam and Bihar struggle with floods unleashed by unprecedented rains that have killed many and affected lakhs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised all help to flood-hit states. Nearly 20 lakh have been severely hit in Bihar. The second wave of floods in Assam within a month has marooned over 22 lakh. The flood situation is likely to worsen with the Met department forecasting heavy to very heavy rain in neighbouring West Bengal, Meghalaya and parts of Assam till Wednesday. The rail link to northeast India from the rest of the country has been severed. Army has been called in and IAF has been put on standby.

The state authorities have accelerated rescue and relief operations amid reports of 10 more deaths in the last two days in flood-hit Assam. Continuous erosion by Kundil river has become a serious threat to Panchmile, Lakhimi Gaon, Bogoribari, and the Kundil Bridge. PM Modi spoke to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and promised all support from Centre.

Incessant rains in the last three days in neighbouring Nepal, coupled with heavy rains in Bihar have flooded Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar districts. Swollen rivers like Mahananda and Kankai made matters worse. So far, at least 10 persons, including women and children, have been killed in the floods.

Numerous trains have been cancelled due to waterlogging at the Narkatiaganj yard. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked for an additional deployment of 10 companies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Air Force's helicopters to carry out relief and rescue operations.

Flood fury has claimed at least three lives and affected over five lakh people in West Bengal. Rail and road communication has been severely hit.

A village near the Mandi-Pathankot National Highway was on Monday declared unsafe and residents asked to shift to safer places in view of the threat of landslides even as rescue operations were on at the site where two buses were trapped under mounds of debris that killed 46 people on Sunday.