Guwahati, May 15 (IANS) Heavy rain lashed several parts of Assam on Friday, triggering floods in the urban areas of Silchar town of Cachar district and parts of Sribhumi district in the Barak Valley region, officials said.

Continuous downpour since early morning inundated several low-lying areas in Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi districts, disrupting normal life and vehicular movement.

Roads in Silchar town went underwater, causing severe traffic congestion in several localities.

According to district officials, waterlogging was also reported from various parts of Sribhumi town after drains overflowed following intense rainfall.

In a tragic incident, one person died in the Sribhumi district after allegedly coming in contact with a live electric wire amid the rain. Police said the victim was electrocuted in a waterlogged area, while further investigation into the incident is underway.

Local authorities and disaster management teams have been placed on alert as more rainfall has been forecast in the region over the next few hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said generally cloudy skies accompanied by light to moderate rainfall activity are likely to continue in several parts of Assam.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati stated that rain-bearing cloud systems remain active over the northeastern region. Rainfall data issued by the IMD on Friday showed significant precipitation in and around Guwahati as well.

Guwahati Rupnagar recorded the highest accumulated rainfall of 50.5 mm since Thursday morning, while the Downtown University area received 21.5 mm, and Gauhati University recorded 19.5 mm of rainfall.

Hazo in Kamrup district received 15.5 mm of rainfall, while Sualkuchi recorded 18 mm of precipitation.

The IMD’s nowcast bulletin issued on Friday said one or two spells of moderate rain are “very likely” across different parts of Assam.

Officials said the state administration is closely monitoring the situation in the Barak Valley districts, particularly in vulnerable urban pockets prone to flash floods and waterlogging.

–IANS

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