The flood waters showed a receding trend in Assam where 12 people died due to rain-related incidents and the toll rose to 59 on Saturday while 24 of the state’s 33 districts remained inundated, officials said.

The waters of the deluge, which wrecked large scale devastation across the state, receded from Baksa, Hojai and Majuli districts but continued to submerge 1.51 lakh hectare of crop land and a large part of Kaziranga National Park, where 10 rhinos have been killed.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) flood bulletin, five deaths were reported from Morigaon district, three from Barpeta, two from South Salmara and one each from Nalbari and Dhubri districts during the day taking the toll to 59.

At least 3,024 villages in the affected districts continued to be under water and 44,08,142 people are hit in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Barpeta, Nalbari, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Cachar and Karimganj districts, it said.

A Defence release said a large scale flood-relief operation is underway in flood-hit areas of lower Assam by the Army and rescue columns are operating round the clock.