‘It was a tsunami’: Floods leave death trail in India’s Assam

Torrential monsoon rains have unleashed devastating floods across India's northeastern Assam state, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Over 100 people have perished, with thousands of villages submerged and an estimated 700,000 people displaced.

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I could only see my wife telling me on the video call, ‘This is it for us. We are going to die,’ before the call was disconnected

The deluge, particularly intense between July 18 and July 20, swelled rivers originating in the neighboring Naga Hills of Nagaland, causing widespread devastation downstream. While monsoon floods typically affect other parts of Assam, heavy rainfall in Nagaland districts bordering Upper Assam led to numerous landslides, exacerbating the run-off and the resulting catastrophe.

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The water came flooding like sea waves, and they were gone in a flash

Debiram Panika, a daily wage laborer, shared the harrowing experience of losing his wife, Dipika, and four-year-old daughter, Radhika, when the Dikhow River surged into their home. "The water came flooding like sea waves, and they were gone in a flash," Panika recounted, his voice filled with grief.

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I look for Radhika every day in the bushes, tirelessly. Her last words, calling me ‘Papa’, are still reverberating in my ears

Many riverine villages in the Sivasagar district have been reduced to debris fields, with tree trunks piled high where homes once stood. Vast stretches of rice fields, the primary source of livelihood for many, have been washed away. The state government reports that over 1.2 million people have been affected by the floods, disrupting their lives significantly. The search for Radhika's body continues.

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the torrent of the flood was like an apocalyptic event seen in the m