Dozens of people are reported dead amid torrential rains over the past week in India’s northeastern region, local media reported.
The most heavily affected states are Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. In Assam, more than 640,000 people have been affected as the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries overflowed beyond danger levels, flooding many areas. Around 40,000 people were staying in evacuation camps as of June 5. At least 44 people were reportedly killed in floods or mudslides as the extreme weather battered the state.
In Assam, much of Kaziranga National Park, known for its thriving population of Indian rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis), was inundated, prompting the wildlife to migrate to higher ground in the neighboring Karbi Anglong hills.
Kaziranga lies in the Brahmaputra floodplain and gets submerged during the monsoons every year. Forest officials told local media that measures are being taken to regulate traffic and help the wildlife move safely from Kaziranga to Karbi Anglong, separated by a major highway.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority also reported that nearly 15,000 hectares (about 37,000 acres) of farmlands were affected.
In Arunachal Pradesh, heavy rainfall and landslides damaged roads and affected more than 61,000 people, The Statesman reported. A cloudburst, or a sudden heavy downpour of rain, flooded several parts of the state capital, Itanagar, damaging roads and affecting water supply.
The state’s Changlang district was hit worst, leaving more than 2,000 people homeless.
The nearby state of Manipur also saw flooding and landslides, with some of its districts establishing evacuation camps for displaced residents. In Nagaland state, a landslide damaged a 50-meter (164-foot) section of a national highway, leaving around 100 trucks stranded on this important transportation route in the region.
In the Himalayan state of Sikkim, rescue efforts are ongoing after a landslide buried a military post, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers. Rescue teams also evacuated more than 1,000 tourists.
Other northeastern states that saw fatalities due to landslides and flooding are Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura. A Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson said train journeys were disrupted due to railway tracks being waterlogged.
The India Meteorological Department said in a June 6 bulletin that light to moderate rain is likely to continue over much of the northeast over the next week. The states of Assam and Meghalaya could expect heavy rainfall.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited some of the affected areas and highlighted the need to preserve or revive wetlands to improve water retention and drainage in urban areas.
In late May, much of Mumbai, India’s financial capital, was flooded with the early arrival of the monsoon.
Banner image of rescuers evacuating people from a flooded hospital following landslides and flash flooding in India’s northeast state of Manipur, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Donald Sairem)
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