Guwahati, July 20: A 40-year-old woman died in a landslide at Kharguli here this morning, taking the number of deaths in such incidents to six since last month.

Malati Das was buried alive under a lump of earth that came rushing down a nearby hill while she was washing clothes near her house at Mandakini Path in Kharguli this morning.

The State Disaster Response Force personnel rushed to the spot but could only retrieve her body after struggling for an hour. Kharguli is one of the most landslide-prone areas in the city. Experts have identified more than 360 landslide-prone areas in and around the city.

The Kamrup (metro) administration along with the district disaster management authority has sealed several houses following landslides. The administration had yesterday asked builders, promoters and other residents to ensure safety of guard walls and boundaries immediately, failing which they would be held responsible for any damage to life and property in case of their collapse. Criminal cases would be registered against the builders, promoters and building-owners in case of such incidents and the compensation would also be collected from them.

On June 22, a 70-year-old woman aged died at Piyali Phukan Nagar when huge chunks of soil fell on her house from a nearby hill. Four persons had died at Noonmati and Kharguli earlier.

Kaustav Talukdar of the district disaster management authority said today that six persons have died in landslides since June.

Seven persons had died in landslides in the city in 2014 while no such death was reported last year.

Heavy rain in the foothills of neighbouring Bhutan has triggered fear of severe floods in Chirang, Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Barpeta districts in lower Assam. The Aie, the Khanamakra and the Nangalbangha overflowed their banks and flooded many areas today.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority today issued a flood alert in Barpeta and Jorhat districts, which will remain in force for the next 36 hours. The disaster management authority said Baghbor, Kalgachia, Barpeta and Sarthebari sub-divisions in Barpeta and Majuli in Jorhat are likely to be flooded as the water level in the major rivers had increased because of to heavy rain.

The flood bulletin this evening said 1.4 lakh people have been affected by floods in Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Morigaon and Sivasagar districts. Around 4,731 people are taking shelter in 24 relief camps in Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts. The Brahmaputra was flowing above the danger level at Neematighat in Jorhat and Dhubri and the Dhansiri river in Numaligarh (Golaghat), the Jia Bharali in Sonitpur and the Beki in Barpeta.

Villagers said the Nangalbangha, which flows from the hills of Bhutan, eroded portions of the Sishubari LP School in Chirang district and several hectares of land, and forced many people to take shelter on higher land.

The rivers flowing down the hills of Bhutan cause floods in Assam every year.

Additional Reporting by Preetam B. Choudhury in Kokrajhar