The body of a third victim was recovered on Sunday, around 10 kilometres downstream from the site of the June 24 cloudburst in Arunachal Pradesh’s Keyi Panyor district, as restoration work continues amid persistent rainfall and several districts remain cut off due to landslides.
The cloudburst at Poosa in Keyi Panyor district triggered flash floods and massive landslides, causing extensive damage, including the destruction of 18 residential quarters of the NEEPCO colony. The incident claimed three lives, while search operations had been underway for the missing persons.
The aftermath of the disaster has severely disrupted connectivity, with seven districts in the state, including areas near the Indo-China border, remaining inaccessible from multiple routes.
Authorities said the Kimin-Potin road has once again been blocked following heavy rainfall, further complicating transportation in the region.
The Hoj-Potin Road (NH-13/NH-713A), a crucial highway connecting central and upper Arunachal Pradesh, remains completely closed due to massive mudslides, flash floods and severe road washouts caused by incessant monsoon rains.
The closure has snapped road connectivity to Keyi Panyor, Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi, Kamle, Upper Subansiri and other adjoining areas, affecting the movement of people and essential supplies.
The local administration has issued an advisory urging commuters to avoid all non-essential travel along the Hoj-Potin stretch, citing unstable terrain and the risk of fresh landslides.
Deputy Commissioner of Papum Pare, Lobsang Tsering, on Sunday inspected restoration work along the Hoj-Potin road despite continuous rainfall.
Speaking about the restoration efforts, the Deputy Commissioner said the extent of damage at several locations was severe and estimated that reopening the road would take more than a week.
Officials said the Public Works Department (PWD) Highway Division has deployed heavy machinery to clear debris and restore connectivity, but continuous rainfall has slowed operations.
Junior Engineer of the PWD Highway Division, Nagesh Kumar Singh, said multiple machines have been engaged in restoration work, but a shortage of fuel is posing operational challenges.
He further said that some stretches of the road have developed vertical gorges measuring nearly 40 to 50 metres deep, and complete restoration at such locations could take over a month.
Officials said restoration work is continuing on a war footing, even as fresh rainfall continues to hamper efforts.