Eight killed in Arunachal flash floods

At least eight persons have been killed in flash floods and mudslides triggered by the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh.

Several houses were washed away in remote Mossing village in Upper Siang district bordering China on Thursday evening, official sources said on Friday.

Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh had to call off his visit to Pasighat in East Siang district in the wake of floodwaters of rain-fed Siang river submerging the airfield and other areas in the district headquarter town.

Ramesh was scheduled to attend a public consultation on a series of mega dams

that are proposed to be constructed on the Siang river.

Authorities have asked people in low-lying areas in and around Pasighat town to shift to temporary shelters set up in schools in the area.

Power supply has been cut in both Upper Siang and East Siang districts with several bridges being either washed away or damaged by the floods.

Road communication between Upper Siang and West Siang districts has also been snapped.

Flash floods caused by rain-fed rivers have also caused havoc in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, including of the capital town of Itanagar and the adjoining commercial hub at Naharlagun.