Climate News

Assam floods: reported death toll ranges from 41 to 61 as rivers swamp India's northeast

Monsoon floods in the northeastern Indian state of Assam have killed dozens of people, and the reported death toll rose sharply within a few days. Al Jazeera reported on 23 July that at least 40 people had died and up to 80 were missing after heavy monsoon rains caused severe flooding. It said more than 650,000 people had been affected, and that rescue teams were evacuating people across 11 flood-hit districts.

India's The Wire reported 21 deaths in a single day as the floods got worse. By 25 July, Euronews put the toll at at least 41 as rescue operations continued, the same figure reported by Pakistan's Express Tribune. The UAE state news agency WAM reported the highest figure: 61 dead and more than 700,000 residents affected across nine districts.

How each outlet framed it

• Al Jazeera — the human scale: the dead, the missing and the hundreds of thousands affected.
• The Wire — the Indian outlet's environment desk focused on how fast the floods were getting worse.
• Euronews — the rescue effort, with the toll at 41.
• WAM — the highest figures: 61 dead and more than 700,000 people affected.

Where the numbers differ: the death toll ranged from 41 to 61 within the same few days, and the number of districts affected was given as 11 by Al Jazeera and nine by WAM. Figures changed quickly as reports came in from flooded areas.

What happened next: the floods went on for weeks. On 10 August, a headline from US public radio station Michigan Public said the toll had reached 100 as thousands lost their homes. On 22 August, Al Jazeera published a feature in which survivors described the floods as "a tsunami".