Kevin Pietersen prays for safety of people in Assam amid devastating flood
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen on Monday prayed for the people of Assam who have been left devastated by the flood in the region.
While the overall situation in Assam improved a bit on Sunday, five more people died in as many districts, raising the death toll in the state to 84, while around 25.30 lakh people in 24 of the 33 districts continue to be distressed.
Pietersen took to social media to sympathise with the people of Assam and his Twitter post read: "My thoughts are with all the most beautiful people I met during my trip to Assam in March, where the horrible life-threatening flood is currently destroying lives. PLEASE BE SAFE!"
Earlier, India football captain Sunil Chhetri had also called for attention and assistance for the northeastern state which has been battling with floods amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Along with the prayers, Assam needs as much attention and help as possible to recover from the floods it is under," Chhetri had said in a tweet.
"There's been considerable loss of life -- both man and animal and I can only sincerely hope that the numbers don't rise," he added.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that of the 25.30 lakh distressed people in 24 districts, around 17 lakh are in five districts -- Goalpara (453,858), Barpeta (343,707), Morigaon (341,788), Dhubri (315,838) and South Sakmara (225,209).
Forest Department and ASDMA officials said that so far at least 108 animals were killed, and 134 animals rescued even as 95 per cent of the world-famous Kaziranga National Park, home to more than 2,200 one-horned Indian rhinoceros, remained flooded
