SIVASAGAR: More than 1,000 people stranded by rapidly rising floodwaters in Assam’s Sivasagar district were rescued by local residents who abandoned their own homes and belongings to help people trapped across multiple villages, officials and villagers said.The rescue operation unfolded in the Nepali Khuti area after floodwaters quickly inundated the locality, prompting residents from four to five nearby villages to launch rescue efforts using boats.Sohan Chaudhary, one of the local rescuers, said the water rose so rapidly that they had no time to think about protecting their own homes before rushing to save others.“We were at home. The water rose with such speed that we left our own home to go and rescue others. Our own people were standing in deep water. We took boats out to save others. We hadn’t even realised how much water had entered our own homes. We saved more than 1,000 people from around 4-5 villages,” he told ANI.Another villager, Kanhaiya Chaudhary, said they were initially collecting floating wood when they realised the floodwaters were rising dangerously.“We first got our family members and children to safety. After that, we intended to retrieve our household belongings, but there wasn’t time. People nearby were calling us; when we reached the riverbank, they would call to say, ‘My child is over there, please go and rescue them.’ So, we abandoned our own belongings and focused on saving those people instead,” recalling the frantic rescue efforts, he added.Floods continue to affect several parts of Assam, with five districts—Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo and Dhemaji—currently impacted.According to the latest official figures, 21 revenue circles and 335 villages have been affected.The floods have impacted 1,36,203 people, while 15,422 hectares of agricultural land remain inundated, causing extensive crop damage.The death toll has risen to three, with all fatalities reported from Sivasagar district.Two people also remain missing from the district. Officials said no urban areas are currently affected by flooding.Meanwhile, Assam minister Pijush Hazarika visited the flood-hit Demow and Nazira Assembly constituencies in Sivasagar district to review the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken by the district administration.(With ANI inputs)
