Itanagar: Eight people have been saved following a boating accident on a swollen river in Arunachal Pradesh, where an emergency raft capsized during an evacuation mission. The vessel, carrying seven rescuers and three stranded villagers, was overturned by strong currents, leaving multiple individuals washed downstream. While emergency services have successfully rescued the majority, three people remain stranded on river islands as severe weather hinders aerial support.
A multi-agency emergency operation is underway in Arunachal Pradesh's Lower Dibang Valley after a rescue raft overturned in the turbulent Sisiri River near Dambuk.
The incident originated on Saturday when a seven-member rescue team set out to evacuate four individuals marooned by rising floodwaters. After retrieving three of the stranded locals, the returning raft was overwhelmed and flipped by intense river currents. Whilst five individuals immediately managed to swim to safety, five others were swept away by the fast-flowing water.
Emergency teams quickly located the missing persons downstream. One individual was pulled from the river after clinging to a log, while others were found stranded on small river islands. By Monday morning, eight of the eleven people involved, comprising members of the initial rescue team and the stranded citizens, had been safely brought ashore.
Three individuals remain trapped on isolated river islands awaiting evacuation. Nearly thirty National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, supported by local police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), have launched a fresh morning push to reach them. Although an Indian Air Force helicopter is on standby to assist, persistent heavy rainfall and adverse weather have currently grounded aerial operations.