Daijiworld Media Network - Itanagar

Itanagar, Jun 1: Fourteen people stranded in the swollen Bomjir river along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border were rescued on Sunday by Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, officials said.

A defence spokesperson explained that the IAF launched a critical humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission after receiving requests from the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh state administrations. The operation, carried out using an Mi-17 helicopter, safely airlifted all 14 individuals—13 from Assam’s Tinsukia district and one from Arunachal Pradesh—who were cut off by the flooded river in Lower Dibang Valley.

Sadiya Revenue Circle Officer Jaydeep Rajak oversaw the operation. All rescued people have since returned home. State officials from both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh thanked the IAF for its timely response.

Meanwhile, the Arunachal Pradesh government announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in landslide-related incidents across the state over the past 48 hours.

Nine people lost their lives on Friday night due to landslides triggered by heavy rain—seven in East Kameng district and two in Lower Subansiri district.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed condolences and assured assistance to the affected families. Home Minister Mama Natung and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also expressed deep condolences.

In East Kameng, seven people—including two women and two children—died when a landslide swept a vehicle off the road on National Highway-13 near the Bana-Seppa stretch. Separately, in Lower Subansiri, two workers died and two others were rescued after a landslide struck a cabbage farm near the Pine Grove area on the Ziro-Kamle road.