Dibrugarh: Four people were killed in a landslide at a road construction site in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district, while five Army personnel remained missing after a flash flood swept away two shelters at an Army camp in Dibang Valley, officials said on Saturday.
Both incidents occurred on Friday evening following heavy rainfall in the two districts.
In Upper Subansiri, the landslide struck the Keojaring-Byaching road construction site, burying several workers under a large mass of debris. The deceased were identified as Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari and Babul Ali.
The body of Babul Ali has been recovered, while search and recovery efforts are continuing for the others. Personnel from Nacho Police Station have been deployed at the site, with Fire and Emergency Services teams being mobilised from Daporijo. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team is also being deployed to assist the operation.
In Dibang Valley, heavy rain triggered a flash flood in the Pasu Pani area of Anini, where two shelters at the 5th Grenadier’s Army camp were swept away.
Seven Army personnel were caught in the flash flood. Two were rescued during immediate rescue operations, while five remain missing. The missing personnel have been identified as Havaldar Upendar and Army personnel Kundan, Vinod, Aditya and Samunda.
Multiple rescue teams from neighbouring Army posts have been deployed despite difficult weather and inundated terrain. Personnel from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the 62 Road Construction Company of the General Reserve Engineer Force, Arunachal Pradesh Police and local volunteers have also joined the search operation.
Army aviation assets have been deployed to support the rescue effort and facilitate medical evacuation, if required. An SDRF team from Pasighat is also proceeding to Anini to reinforce the ongoing operation.
Authorities are continuing coordinated search and rescue efforts at both locations, with personnel and resources being deployed on priority to locate those still missing and recover the victims.