Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday discussed the overall flood situation in Assam with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the phone and assured all possible help from the Centre.

The Home Minister, in separate tweets in English and Assamese, said: “Concerned about the situation in the wake of heavy rainfall in parts of Assam. Spoke to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to take stock of the situation. NDRF teams are already been deployed. Assured all possible help from the central government.”

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Defence spokesman, Lt Col Angom Bobin Singh on Tuesday night said that on receipt of an urgent request from Cachar’s Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli, two columns of army and Assam Rifles personnel of Masimpur garrison rushed for flood rescue operations in various parts of the district.

“A swift and coordinated action was carried out by both the teams to rescue precious lives caught in the flood. Priority was given to women, the elderly, and young children. The timely and swift action resulted in lives being saved and a major disaster is averted,” the spokesman said.

Around 500 villagers were rescued by both the parties of the Srikona Battalion of Assam Rifles and Army troops. Rescue efforts were ongoing till late evening and the Deputy Commissioner and locals appreciated the service rendered by Army and Assam Rifles, he said.

In the pre-monsoon flood, around one lakh people, including 24,965 children and 32,827 women, were affected in the Cachar district alone.

With one more person dead in the Udalguri district, the death toll rose to eight in the ongoing pre-monsoon floods and landslides in Assam, where over four lakh people have been affected in 26 districts so far.

Officials in the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that in the last 24 hours, one person died in western Assam’s Udalguri district, while seven people had died earlier in the floods and landslides in Dima Hasao and Lakhimpur districts.

An ASDMA bulletin said that at least 4,03,352 people, including 80,659 children and 1,39,541 women, have been affected and around 1,900 houses have been either partially or fully damaged in 1,089 villages under 26 districts. Over 39,558 people have taken shelter in 89 relief camps.