Four people have died and five Army personnel remain missing after two separate rain-related incidents struck Arunachal Pradesh on Friday evening, with a major landslide reported at a road construction site in Upper Subansiri district and a flash flood sweeping through an Army camp in Dibang Valley.
The incidents occurred amid heavy rainfall in the northeastern state, highlighting the continuing risks faced by communities, workers and security personnel operating in Arunachal Pradesh’s mountainous and difficult terrain. Rescue and search operations have been launched at both locations, with police, disaster-response teams, Army personnel, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and local volunteers involved in the efforts.
Four killed in Upper Subansiri landslide
The first major incident took place at the Keojaring-Byaching road cutting site in Upper Subansiri district, where a landslide buried several people under a large amount of debris.
Four people were reported dead following the collapse. The deceased have been identified as Tadu Baki, Taji Rai, Markosh Basumatari and Babul Ali. Authorities said the body of Babul Ali has been recovered, while search and recovery efforts are continuing at the site.
The incident occurred on Friday evening, when the unstable terrain gave way at the road construction area. The mountainous geography of the region, combined with heavy rainfall, can make road-cutting sites particularly vulnerable to sudden slope failures and debris movement.
Following the landslide, personnel from the Nacho Police Station were deployed to assist with the search and recovery operation. Fire and Emergency Services personnel are also being mobilised from Daporijo, while a team of the State Disaster Response Force is expected to support the operation.
The rescue teams are working under challenging conditions as they search through the debris for any additional victims and assess the condition of the affected area.
Five Army personnel missing after flash flood
A separate and serious incident was reported from Dibang Valley district, where a flash flood struck the Pasu Pani Army Camp after heavy rainfall.
Two shelters belonging to the 5th Grenadier unit were washed away by the sudden surge of floodwater. According to officials, seven Army personnel were caught in the incident. Two were rescued, while five others remain missing.
The missing personnel have been identified as Havaldar Upendar and Army personnel Kundan, Vinod, Aditya and Samunda.
The sudden nature of the flash flood left little time for those at the camp to respond. The washing away of the shelters also created difficult conditions for rescuers attempting to locate the missing personnel.
Two search and rescue teams from the 5th Grenadier have already been deployed in the area. Additional personnel from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the 62 Road Construction Company of the General Reserve Engineer Force, Arunachal Pradesh Police and local volunteers have also been mobilised.
An SDRF team from Pasighat is proceeding towards Anini to strengthen the rescue effort.
Search operations continue
The two incidents have triggered parallel rescue and recovery operations in different districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Officials and emergency personnel are focusing on locating those who remain missing, recovering victims and ensuring that the affected areas remain accessible to rescue teams.
In Upper Subansiri, the priority is to clear debris and determine whether anyone else may have been trapped by the landslide. In Dibang Valley, search teams are concentrating on the area around the washed-away Army shelters and surrounding terrain where the missing personnel could have been carried by floodwater.
The involvement of multiple agencies reflects the difficulties of conducting rescue operations in remote mountainous locations. Landslides, damaged roads, unstable slopes and continuing rainfall can slow the movement of emergency teams and equipment.
Heavy rainfall raises disaster risks
Arunachal Pradesh is particularly vulnerable to landslides and flash floods because of its mountainous landscape, steep slopes and intense monsoon rainfall. Sudden changes in weather conditions can rapidly increase the risk of flooding in valleys and trigger landslides along roads and construction sites.
Friday’s incidents demonstrate how quickly heavy rainfall can create dangerous conditions, affecting both civilian infrastructure and strategic locations such as Army camps.
For authorities, the immediate challenge is to sustain search operations while monitoring the weather and ensuring the safety of rescuers working in potentially unstable areas. The possibility of further rainfall can complicate debris removal and increase the risk of additional landslides or flash floods.
Rescue effort remains the priority
As search operations continue, authorities are coordinating the deployment of personnel and resources across both affected locations. The recovery of the missing Army personnel remains a major priority in Dibang Valley, while teams in Upper Subansiri are continuing efforts to recover victims from the landslide site.
The incidents also underscore the importance of rapid disaster response in Arunachal Pradesh, where difficult terrain and limited connectivity can make emergency operations particularly challenging.
Officials are expected to assess the full extent of damage as rescue teams gain access to the affected sites. Further details about the missing personnel and the overall impact of the incidents are likely to emerge as search operations progress.