Two people, including a child, were killed and over 3,000 families left homeless as torrential rain caused floods across Tripura, reported Hindustan Times.
The state capital of Agartala received 86 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours while the highest rainfall of 172.6 mm was recorded in Sabroom in South District, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The weather department has forecast heavy rain over the next 24 hours owing to “an upper air cyclonic circulation over South Assam and Meghalaya and the neighbourhood”.
A report from the State Emergency Operation Centre said that 3,472 homeless families took shelter in 64 camps set up by the state government across the state, and about 41 houses were damaged in the floods, according to Hindustan Times.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said nearly 10,000 people (till 10 am on Wednesday) have taken shelter in 76 camps across the state. “Teams from [National Disaster Response Force], Assam Rifles and other central [and] state agencies are fully engaged in relief work,” Deb tweeted.
The rain also triggered landslides – 11 in Khowai district, one in Gomati district and five in Dhalai district. All eight districts in the state are reportedly flooded, and all major rivers are overflowing.
The incessant rain and flooding has also submerged the drilling sites of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission in the northern parts of the state, reported The Hindu. “The drilling location at Pechartal of Unakoti district had been affected by torrential rains,” ONGC spokesperson Debashis Saraswati said, according to the newspaper, adding that heavy equipment was still submerged.
He added that crew and staff at the site has been evacuated and operations will remain suspended till the weather clears.
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