Search for 5 army personnel who went missing in Arunachal flash flood continues

Five army personnel who were swept away by a flash flood on Friday in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley district remained untraced as a multi-agency search operation continued for the third day on Monday, the state disaster management department said.

The flash flood struck Pasu Pani, around 25km beyond Mipi Circle, at about 4.30pm after a major stream suddenly swelled and inundated the surrounding area.

Superintendent of police Pankaj Kumar said seven army personnel were caught in the floodwaters after two shelters of the 5th Grenadiers at the Pasu Pani Army Camp were washed away. Two personnel were rescued, while five remained missing. The missing personnel have been identified as Havaldar Upendar and army personnel Kundan, Vinod, Aditya and Samunda.

A joint search operation involving personnel from the army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Arunachal Pradesh police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and local volunteers is underway to trace them, officials said.

Search teams are combing the Pasu Pani area as well as downstream stretches, but they have found no trace of the five personnel so far, they added.

Dibang Valley, bordering China, frequently experiences landslides, flash floods and disruption of road connectivity during the monsoon due to its mountainous terrain and heavy rainfall.

The search operation is continuing despite difficult terrain and challenging weather conditions, officials said.