Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Thursday that rescue and relief operations are the top priority as the state grapples with severe flooding caused by unprecedented rainfall over the past three days.

“I have never seen this kind of rain in Tripura before,” CM Saha said at a press conference. He attributed the extreme weather to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, which has affected nearly every district in the state.

Saha said that 321 relief camps are currently operational, housing approximately 30,000 people. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Security Force (BSF), police, and volunteers are engaged in rescue operations.

Taking to X, CM Manik Saha shared, “In the last two days, heavy rains have caused flooding in various districts of the state. The administration is engaged in relief and rescue operations with the highest priority. The state government is regularly informing the central government about the flood situation. It was initially reported that apart from the destruction of houses, livestock, roads, electricity and agricultural crops were also damaged.”

Saha said the government’s “priority is to bring people from unsafe places to safe locations and provide them with food.” He added that restoration efforts would commence once the rainfall, expected to continue until August 25, subsides.

The flooding has caused significant damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and property. CM Saha has been in contact with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting additional NDRF teams to support response efforts.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Tripura for the next two days.

(Inputs from ANI)