Shillong: Meghalaya continues to reel under the relentless onslaught of the monsoon, with incessant rainfall claiming three more lives, bringing the total fatalities in rain-related incidents over the past three days to six. The latest tragedies saw two young girls killed by lightning strikes in the West Garo Hills district, while a man drowned in the surging waters of the Ri-Bhoi district, officials confirmed.
The devastating impact of the monsoon has extended beyond human lives, with nearly 1,100 individuals across 49 villages grappling with the aftermath of landslides, flash floods, and widespread power outages. Emergency services are working overtime, with district disaster management authorities actively monitoring the precarious situation and deploying response teams.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma expressed profound grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased. With the India Meteorological Department forecasting extremely heavy rainfall in parts of East Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills over the next 24 hours, CM Sangma has directed all concerned departments to initiate necessary actions to mitigate the impact and advised the public to exercise extreme caution.
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