Itanagar, June 29: Rescue operations resumed on Monday, June 29, in Lower Dibang Valley district after a rescue raft carrying stranded persons and rescuers overturned in the swollen Sisiri River at Dambuk amid strong river currents.
According to official information available as of 5:30 a.m. on June 29, a team of seven rescuers had entered the Sisiri River on June 28 to rescue four persons who had earlier become stranded in the river.
The rescue team successfully located three of the stranded individuals. However, while all ten persons—comprising seven rescuers and three rescued individuals—were approaching the riverbank, their raft overturned after being hit by a strong current.
Five people managed to swim to safety, while the remaining five were swept downstream by the river.
Of those carried away by the current, two became stranded on an island, while another was trapped on a log in the middle of the river. The stranded person on the log was later rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), while two more individuals were rescued later on the night of June 28.
Authorities said eight of the 11 people involved in the incident—including the original four stranded persons and the seven-member rescue team—have now been rescued. Three people remain stranded on river islands, with two located together on one island and another, who was initially reported missing, traced on a separate island.
Rescue operations resumed at 4:45 a.m. on June 29 to evacuate the remaining stranded persons.
A total of 30 NDRF personnel have been deployed at the site, supported by teams from the state police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Authorities also said an Indian Air Force helicopter has been kept on standby at Mohanbari for aerial assistance. However, persistent heavy rainfall and adverse weather have so far prevented flight operations.
The information was shared by the Secretary of Civil Aviation and the Deputy Commissioner of Roing and circulated by the Department of Disaster Management, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
