8 more deaths take toll from NE floods and landslides to 44

GUWAHATI: At least eight more deaths due to rain-triggered floods and landslides were reported Tuesday in Northeast, taking the toll in the past five days to 44.In Assam, one death each occurred in Hailakandi, Sribhumi, Morigaon, Cachar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts.

One person died in Manipur, while a labourer perished in a wall collapse in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district.The situation in Assam further deteriorated, with the number of flood-hit people rising from 5.15 lakh on Monday to over 6.33 lakh on Tuesday. Twenty-one of Assam's 35 districts are affected. IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Assam, heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura on Wednesday. Brahmaputra overshot danger levels in Tezpur Tuesday, as did its tributaries Burhidihing and Kopili. tnn