Disasters & Incidents
Assam floods kill 97 as villages are buried in mud
Floods in India's northeastern state of Assam have killed at least 97 people, according to an official toll update on Friday, after one of the state's worst deluges in years buried villages in mud.
Nearly 170,000 people have been affected, including thousands forced into temporary shelters as swollen rivers inundated homes and farmland. More than 14,000 hectares of cropland have been submerged.
An AFP journalist saw half-submerged houses, uprooted trees and vehicles buried under mud in Sivasagar, the worst-hit district.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted a video on Friday of himself consoling the parents of a 13-year-old boy who died while trying to rescue his pet dog from floodwaters. "No parent should ever have to bid farewell to their child," he wrote.
India's Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who visited the flood-hit region on Thursday, said the devastation was so large that normality would take time to restore. "Village after village has been submerged," he told reporters.
Earlier monsoon floods, landslides and lightning strikes had also killed people in Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and Jharkhand. In Kerala, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said at least 15 people had been killed and seven were missing after heavy rains. A public broadcaster report put the toll from intense rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir at at least 31. Local disaster officials said lightning strikes killed at least 22 people in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Flooding is common in Assam during the June-September monsoon, when the Brahmaputra and its tributaries overflow. Experts say climate change and poorly planned development are increasing the frequency, severity and impact of such disasters.
Residents and officials have blamed illegal coal mining in neighbouring Nagaland for worsening the flooding, saying it has affected areas not historically prone to inundation. Sarma has said he would raise the issue with the national government in New Delhi.
Climate Trends, an advocacy group, said the increasing severity of floods in Assam was driven by global warming, changing river dynamics and growing human exposure.
Update
An official toll update put deaths from floods in Assam at at least 97.
Nearly 170,000 people have been affected in Assam, including thousands forced into temporary shelters.
Floodwaters have submerged more than 14,000 hectares of cropland.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he would raise concerns about alleged effects of illegal coal mining in neighbouring Nagaland with India's national government.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 09:22:36 UTC.
Update
Lightning strikes killed at least 22 people in Bihar and Jharkhand since Tuesday, local disaster response officials said.
The lightning victims were mostly farmers working in paddy fields and cattle grazers, and included four children, officials said.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 11:11:09 UTC.
Update
Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre said flash floods and mudslides have killed at least eight people since Monday.
Some 12,000 people have been driven out of flooded homes in Sri Lanka's central region.
Sri Lanka's eastern regions were also in severe drought, with authorities transporting drinking water by tanker truck.
Sri Lanka's government said last month the severe weather events were due to this year's El Nino phenomenon and set up a ministerial task force to mitigate its impact.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 06:53:33 UTC.
Update
In Assam's Sivasagar district, about 47 people have been killed and several areas remain under water.
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan said at least 15 people had been killed and seven were missing after heavy rains over several days.
More than 300 relief camps have been set up in Kerala, sheltering more than 10,000 people.
A public state broadcaster report said at least 31 people had been killed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Assam authorities appealed for public donations to support relief and rehabilitation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 06:15:04 UTC.
Update
Thousands of people have been forced to flee because of the floods and landslides.
Assam is among the hardest-hit states.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at least 87 people had been killed in the state.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 August 2026 at 05:55:55 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The Assam flood toll is described as an official update and may change.
Claims that illegal coal mining in Nagaland worsened flooding are attributed to residents and officials, not established as a confirmed cause.
Source
AFP news report published on .