North Lakhimpur, July 15 -- A sudden flash flood triggered by the swelling of the Sesa River wreaked havoc across western Lakhimpur on Wednesday, damaging roads and culverts, inundating several villages, and causing extensive losses to newly transplanted paddy fields.

The flood followed heavy rainfall in the Dhalpur-Simaluguri area along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, which led to a sharp rise in the water level of the Sesa River, originating in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh.

The overflowing river breached the Hawajan-Ghogorabasti (Simaluguri) PWD road, currently under construction as part of the Assam Mala scheme, near a railway crossing. Within a few hours, floodwaters spread across dozens of villages, sweeping away poultry, hou...