Meghalaya Tragedy: Flood Death Toll Soars to 17 as CM Sangma Prepares to Assess Damage

GARO HILLS: Casualties have risen to 17 in the floods that hit Garo Hills in Meghalaya with two children lost their lives in the calamity.

The two victims are Silarin Marak, 8, and Tangme R Marak, 3, residing at Bate Apal-Bangsi Apal in North Garo Hills. They fell into a pit-like structure filled with water which had come up near the house because the floods were so severe that there was no view around the place.

Till date, three people have lost their lives in East Garo Hills, five in West Garo Hills, seven in South Garo Hills, and two in North Garo Hills.

Today, the body of Silje R Marak, 60, head of a family of seven, buried alive under a massive landslide at Atisia Songma village in South Garo Hills, was exhumed.

The slide occurred on October 4 when a portion of the hill behind their house collapsed because of heavy rain. Yesterday, rescuers recovered six family members' bodies from the mud.

Chief Minister Sangma will visit Atisia Songmong and the neighboring areas on October 8. He has decided to interact with the kin of the people killed by floods in West and South Garo Hills. The chief minister shall see relief camps and meet officials at local levels with a view to assessing losses in the shape of lives lost and property destroyed during his visit.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is actively working in the Garo Hills district to help distribute relief supplies after the area faced flash floods and landslides. Heavy rain has been affecting Meghalaya, especially the Garo Hills district, since October 4.

As per the State Disaster Management Authority records, 54 villages and 4,954 people belonging to 330 households have been affected by floods and landslides in the Garo Hills region.

Teams from both the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force have been deputed in the worst-affected areas to conduct search and rescue operations there.

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