GUWAHATI, India, June 2, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – At least 20 villagers,
including 10 children, were killed in landslides Tuesday after three
days of incessant pre-monsoon rains in northeastern India, officials
said.
including 10 children, were killed in landslides Tuesday after three
days of incessant pre-monsoon rains in northeastern India, officials
said.
The landslides took place in the Barak Valley of southern Assam
state, Forests Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, adding that several
homes were destroyed.
Officials said rescue workers feared they may find more bodies
trapped by the landslides and the toll could rise.
Floods in India’s northeast are an annual phenomenon, but the
monsoon season there usually falls between July and September.
The hilly terrain in the region makes it prone to landslides after
heavy rain.
The state is already grappling with flooding in several districts,
and at least nine people have died, almost 200,000 village homes
damaged and more than 2,600 hectares (around 6,500 acres) of crops
destroyed in recent weeks.