Assam flood toll hits 174

Death toll in the floods in Assam's Goalpara district rose to 157 with the recovery of seven more bodies since Monday night.

Road and rail links between lower and upper Assam remained disrupted for the fourth day on Tuesday. Heavy rainfall and flash floods claimed 174 lives since last week. Some 17 people were killed in landslides in Guwahati, besides the deaths in Goalpara.

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Goalpara superintendent of police Violet Barua said that seven bodies were recovered since Monday night, including those of three women. The death toll is likely to rise further, he said. The army and the police are engaged in rescue operations round the clock.

Meanwhile, land links between lower and upper Assam remained cut off following the collapse of a bridge at Raha in Nagaon district. National Highway 37 has been inundated and several breaches in the Kolong and Kiling rivers have led to unprecedented floods in central districts of Nagaon, Morigaon and parts of Kamrup districts, official sources said.