Correspondent
KOHIMA, JUL 21 (NPN): A 38-year-old man was swept away and drowned in a flash flood at Ukha village under Mon district on Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, Mopong Hongkong Students’ Union (MHSU) president Y. Lhamnyei said the deceased, identified as Lhangti Kongko, was working in his terraced paddy field with his wife and children when a flash flood, triggered by heavy rainfall, swept through the area at around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
He said Kongko was carried away by the strong current, while the flood also destroyed a large stretch of agricultural land.
Despite desperate attempts by family members and others working nearby to rescue him, he could not be saved. He is survived by his wife and three young children.
Lhamnyei said villagers of Ukha, the Ukha Village Guards (VGs) and volunteers from neighbouring Yangching village in Longleng district launched a massive search operation.
After nearly three-and-a-half hours, the body was recovered from the Phangsha (Yeangmon) River.
He said the Village Guards, along with relatives of the deceased, entered the swollen river without safety equipment to retrieve the body. Kongko was laid to rest at Ukha village the same evening.
MHSU president also informed that the Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) of Mopong visited the site to assess the situation.
He added that the flash flood caused extensive damage to agricultural fields, resulting in heavy losses for local farmers.