ITANAGAR, Jun 26: Search and rescue operations continued for the third consecutive day on Friday in the aftermath of the devastating flash flood that struck Poosa under Yazali Circle in Keyi Panyor district, with four persons still reported missing. According to the District Administration, search operations resumed at around 7:30 am with teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Police, NEEPCO and local volunteers carrying out intensive searches both on water and land. SDRF personnel deployed inflatable rafts to conduct searches from the dam side, while ground teams combed affected stretches in an effort to trace the missing individuals. Despite extensive efforts throughout the day, no breakthrough was achieved and the four missing persons — Alise K Marak (13), Olyn Synkli (30), Tao Anjini (46) and Sourabh Kharwar (30) — remain untraced. Search operations were suspended at 6:35 pm and are scheduled to resume at 6 am on Saturday. Meanwhile, significant progress has been made in road restoration works. Clearance operations from the Poosa side successfully removed debris along the Poosa-Potin stretch. However, authorities have kept the road closed to vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure due to unstable slopes and the risk of fresh landslides. The Potin-Kimin road has been reopened for light motor vehicles (LMVs), while the Potin-Hoj road remains blocked. The administration has advised commuters to use the alternate Yachuli-Pistana-Ambam-Selsango-Parang-Sagalee-Hoj-Itanagar route, which is presently suitable only for LMVs. Heavy vehicles have been advised against using the route. In a parallel emergency response, two medical teams comprising doctors, dressers, nursing assistants and support staff were dispatched to assist four labourers injured in a landslide near the Keyi Panyor Welcome Gate. However, the teams were forced to return after encountering extensive road damage near Yabi village. The injured labourers were eventually evacuated on foot by local residents to Potin, from where they were transported to the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), Naharlagun, for advanced treatment. Relief and restoration efforts also continued across the affected areas. The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) supplied potable water through tankers to residents of Poosa village and the NEEPCO Colony and temporarily restored water supply to the left bank of the Poosa stream. A fresh preliminary damage assessment revealed extensive destruction in the flood-hit region. At the NEEPCO Colony, 54 residential quarters comprising 108 housing units have been affected, with 30 quarters completely destroyed or washed away. Approximately 108 households involving nearly 350 people have been impacted. A temporary relief camp established within the colony is currently sheltering around 60 people. In Poosa and Pitapool villages, 10 houses were completely destroyed while 14 others sustained partial damage, affecting about 20 households. The administration also facilitated the travel of Vikas Kharwar, brother of missing person Sourabh Kharwar, who arrived from Uttar Pradesh to assist in the search efforts. Necessary transportation and accommodation arrangements were coordinated by district authorities and NEEPCO officials. The District Administration stated that relief distribution, restoration of essential services, detailed damage assessment and search operations will continue in coordination with all responding agencies until normalcy is restored.
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