28 dead as monsoon havoc unleashes floods and landslides across northeast

Relentless rainfall over the past 48 hours has left a deadly trail across India’s Northeast, claiming at least 28 lives and displacing hundreds. Triggered by a depression over Bangladesh, the monsoon surge unleashed landslides, flash floods, and widespread havoc from Arunachal Pradesh to Manipur.

In Arunachal Pradesh, tragedy struck late May 30 night when a massive landslide on National Highway 13 swept a vehicle into a gorge between Bana and Seppa in East Kameng district, killing seven people. Two more perished in a separate incident in Lower Subansiri.
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” said local MLA Mama Natung. “I urge everyone to remain alert and avoid night travel during monsoons.”

Assam’s capital, Guwahati, witnessed city-wide paralysis from urban flooding. On the city’s outskirts, a landslide in Bonda killed five. With roads inundated and transport crippled, schools and colleges were shut in Guwahati and Kamrup, and the government offered special leave to employees commuting from flood-hit areas. By May 31, a dozen districts were grappling with floods, with three fatalities reported from Golaghat and Lakhimpur.

Mizoram recorded landslides in a staggering 113 locations, with five deaths confirmed by the State Disaster Management Authority.

In Meghalaya, six people lost their lives in rain-related incidents, while Nagaland reported the death of a truck driver in Chümoukedima, caught under a rockfall.

Meanwhile in Manipur, the Imphal River breached its banks, flooding vast parts of Imphal East. Flash floods and landslides battered the hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Noney, and Pherzawl. Authorities evacuated 277 residents, relocating them to eight relief camps.

With forecasts warning of continued rainfall, disaster management agencies across the region remain on high alert, bracing for what could be another wave of destruction. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the extreme weather to a persistent depression system hovering over neighboring Bangladesh.

As the rainclouds loom, the human cost is mounting — in lives lost, homes submerged, and communities shattered. The Northeast stands united, but vulnerable, in the eye of nature’s storm.