Flood rescues in Tripura, India, May 2018.
© Tripura PoliceFlood rescues in Tripura, India, May 2018.
Fifteen people have lost their lives and thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes after flooding in the north-east Indian state of Tripura.

Rain has affected parts of the state since early May and state disaster management officials said that a total of 15 people have died in floods and landslides, with 24 injured and 11,704 displaced. Local media said that the overflowing Haora (Howrah) and Gumti (Gomati) rivers have forced many to evacuate their homes. Forty-five relief camps have been set up to house those displaced.

A storm on 06 to 07 May caused widespread damage in parts of West Tripura. However, most of the fatalities and evacuations across the state occurred from 17 May, 2018 after monsoon rain intensified.


The worst hit area is the district of West Tripura, where 6 people have died and around 4,500 people have evacuated their homes. Wide areas of the state capital, Agartala, have been flooded.

Other fatalities occurred in Dhalai (2), Gomati (4), Khowai (2) and Sipahijala (1). The districts of South Tripura, Unakoti and North Tripura have also been affected.

As of 21 May, 1,236 houses had been completely destroyed, with 620 those in West Tripura and 343 in Unakoti. A total of 4,222 houses have been severely damaged since 01 May, 1784 of them in West Tripura, 722 in Dhalai, 638 in Unakoti and 510 in Khowai.

District officials said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, fire service, civil defence and volunteers were working to provide assistance to those affected. The state's Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb, and the Education Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, have both visited affected areas.

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