Catastrophic flooding in the northeastern Indian state of Assam has killed at least 10 people in the last 24 hours alone, pushing the total number of deaths for the week to 36, according to state authorities.
The state’s disaster management authority reported Wednesday that more than 650,000 residents spread across 11 districts have been impacted by the relentless rainfall and rising floodwaters.
Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to the social media platform X to describe the situation, calling the scale of destruction “unprecedented.” He did not elaborate further in his post.
A state government report identified the root cause of the flooding as extremely heavy rainfall that fell in the neighboring state of Nagaland between July 18 and 20, which sent unusually large volumes of water surging into Assam’s river systems.
The region is no stranger to seasonal flooding. Assam is home to the Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers on Earth, and experiences significant flood damage nearly every year when monsoon rains arrive and river levels rise.
