Four killed, five Army personnel missing as flash flood and landslide strike Arunachal Pradesh

New Delhi: Four people were killed and five Indian Army personnel went missing after torrential rain triggered a landslide and a flash flood in two remote districts of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, officials said. Search and rescue operations involving the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, state police and disaster-response teams were under way on August 15 despite difficult terrain and continuing rain.

The fatalities occurred when a landslide struck the Keojaring-Byaching road-cutting site near Nacho in Upper Subansiri district, burying several people beneath mud and rock. State emergency authorities identified those reported killed as Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari and Babul Ali.

Ali’s body had been recovered, while rescuers were working to retrieve the other victims from the debris, according to the district disaster management officer. Personnel from Nacho police station were deployed at the site, with fire and emergency services mobilized from Daporijo and a Arunachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force team assigned to support the operation.

In a separate incident in Dibang Valley district, a flash flood swept through the Pasu Pani Army camp under Mipi circle at about 4.30pm, washing away two shelters occupied by personnel of 5 Grenadiers. Seven soldiers were caught in the sudden surge, of whom two were rescued and five remained unaccounted for, according to preliminary information released by the district administration.

The missing personnel were identified as Havildar Upendar and four soldiers named Kundan, Vinod, Aditya and Samunda. Two search and rescue teams from 5 Grenadiers were deployed immediately, although officials cautioned that access to the affected area remained difficult.

Personnel from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, 62 Road Construction Company of the General Reserve Engineer Force, the Arunachal Pradesh Police and local volunteer groups were also sent to join the search. An additional State Disaster Response Force team was moving from Pasighat towards Anini, the headquarters of Dibang Valley district.

Both disaster sites lie in sparsely populated, mountainous parts of Arunachal Pradesh where steep slopes, fragile geology and limited road connectivity frequently complicate rescue operations. Heavy monsoon rain can rapidly swell narrow mountain streams and destabilize freshly cut slopes, leaving settlements, military posts and infrastructure projects vulnerable to landslides and sudden flooding.

The India Meteorological Department had forecast widespread rainfall across Arunachal Pradesh and warned of isolated heavy rain on August 15, followed by very heavy rain at isolated places between August 16 and August 18. Thunderstorms and lightning were also expected across the state, raising the possibility of further disruption to rescue and recovery work.

Upper Subansiri had already suffered extensive flooding during the current monsoon, with roads, homes and public infrastructure damaged in several areas. The latest incidents have again highlighted the exposure of strategically important border districts to extreme weather, where disaster response frequently depends on coordinated action by civilian agencies, the armed forces and local communities.