Itanagar/Kolkata, August 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The search for five Army personnel who went missing after a major cloudburst triggered flash floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Dibang Valley continued on Wednesday, with the Army’s Eastern Command preparing to resume operations early Thursday.
As weather conditions improved, Army Aviation Corps assets conducted extensive aerial search operations during the day. The operations were suspended in the evening due to fading light.
“Operations will resume again from early on Thursday. Ground teams are co-ordinating with the helicopters during the search in the extremely rugged terrain. Search will continue till we trace them,” a senior official said.
The Army’s Eastern Command said two critically injured soldiers had been evacuated from a riverbed, while efforts were being intensified to locate those swept away by the flash floods.
The cloudburst occurred in the Pashu Pani area of Anini in Upper Dibang Valley on August 14, triggering a massive flash flood and landslide that swept away two shelters at the 5th Grenadier’s Pasu Pani Army camp.
Seven Army personnel were swept away in the flooding. Two were subsequently rescued, while five remain missing.
Rescue efforts began immediately, with personnel from the 5th Grenadier joined by teams from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 62 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), Arunachal Pradesh Police and local volunteers.
A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has also arrived from Pasighat to assist in the operation.
Army aviation assets have been deployed whenever weather conditions have permitted. The Army said its aviation units were conducting continuous search-and-rescue and casualty evacuation operations in the Dibang Valley.
Officials said heavy inundation, fast-flowing rivers, rocky terrain and difficult weather conditions were hampering both aerial and ground operations.
Additional resources will be deployed if required, while the Indian Air Force could also join the search effort.
One challenge for rescuers is the largely uninhabited nature of the area, officials said, making it difficult to obtain information from local residents about the missing personnel.
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