News48 Hours Without Contact: How 23 Assam Forest Personnel Vanished and Were Found Safe in Dima Hasao
Twenty-three Assam Forest Department personnel who lost all communication during a routine patrol along the Dima Hasao-Karbi Anglong border, close to Nagaland, were found safe on July 27 after nearly 48 hours of intensive search operations involving the Forest Department, Assam Police, and Assam Rifles. The team had last made contact with district headquarters on the evening of July 24, before setting out to survey a stretch of dense, largely inaccessible forest. Background Dima Hasao and neighbouring Karbi Anglong contain some of Assam's most rugged and remote forest terrain, much of it without road access or mobile network coverage. Forest personnel patrolling these ranges routinely operate in conditions where losing contact with headquarters, even briefly, is not unusual given the terrain — but a 48-hour silence involving a full 23-member team was serious enough to trigger a multi-agency search rather than a routine wait-and-see response. The patrol had set out on July 23 to survey the Langting, Maibang, Khepre, Manderdisa, and Hatikhola forest ranges — a stretch spanning difficult, forested terrain along the districts' shared border area with Nagaland. This kind of patrol work is a routine part of the Forest Department's monitoring duties in the region, but the scale of this particular incident, with an entire team going silent simultaneously, set it apart. Key Details Personnel involved: 23 Assam Forest Department staff on routine patrol Patrol area: Langting, Maibang, Khepre, Manderdisa, and Hatikhola forest ranges, Dima Hasao-Karbi Anglong border area near Nagaland Patrol start date: July 23 Last contact: Evening of July 24 Team located: July 27, after nearly 48 hours of intensive search Agencies involved in the search: Assam Forest Department, Assam Police, Assam Rifles Search methods: Ground search teams across rugged terrain, supplemented by drones to scan the dense forest canopy where visibility from the ground was extremely limited Outcome: All 23 personnel found safe and returned to base without injuries At a Glance Timeline Stage Date Status Patrol departs July 23 Team enters remote forest ranges Last communication Evening of July 24 Contact with HQ lost afterward Search operation launched Following loss of contact Forest Dept, Police, Assam Rifles mobilised; drones deployed Team located and safe July 27 All 23 personnel recovered, no injuries reported Local Impact For Forest Department staff across Assam's remote patrol postings, the episode is a stark reminder of the genuine physical risk built into routine duty in areas without communication infrastructure — a risk that rarely makes headlines unless, as here, an entire team goes silent at once. For residents of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, the rapid, coordinated multi-agency response also demonstrates the kind of search and rescue capability available in the region when needed, including the use of drone technology to cover terrain that ground teams alone would struggle to search quickly. The incident is also likely to renew attention on communication infrastructure gaps for forest patrol teams operating in border-adjacent, network-dead zones — a long-standing operational challenge for departments covering the Northeast's more remote protected and reserved forest areas. What Happens Next With all personnel recovered safely and without injury, the immediate emergency response phase concluded on July 27. Departments involved in this kind of operation typically conduct an internal review of what caused the communication breakdown and whether additional equipment, such as satellite communicators for patrol teams entering known dead zones, could reduce the risk of a similar incident recurring. No specific policy announcement following this incident was found in available reporting as of this article. Frequently Asked Questions What happened to the 23 Assam forest personnel? They lost all communication with headquarters while on a routine patrol along the Dima Hasao-Karbi Anglong border near Nagaland, and were found safe after nearly 48 hours following an intensive multi-agency search. When did this happen? The patrol began on July 23, last contact was made on the evening of July 24, and the team was located safe on July 27. Where exactly did this take place? In the Langting, Maibang, Khepre, Manderdisa, and Hatikhola forest ranges, in the border area between Assam's Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts, close to Nagaland. Which agencies conducted the search? The Assam Forest Department, Assam Police, and Assam Rifles, using both ground search teams and drones to scan the dense forest canopy. Was anyone hurt? No. All 23 personnel were found safe and returned to base without injuries. Why did the search take nearly 48 hours? The patrol area is remote, largely inaccessible by road, and lacks communication facilities, meaning ground teams had to physically cover rugged terrain, with drones used to compensate for extremely limited ground visibility in the dense canopy. Could something like this happen again? The underlying terrain and communication gaps that made this incident possible are a known, ongoing operational challenge for forest patrol teams in remote parts of Northeast India, though no specific new safety measure has been publicly announced in response to this particular incident. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[ {"@type":"Question","name":"What happened to the 23 Assam forest personnel?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They lost all communication with headquarters while on a routine patrol along the Dima Hasao-Karbi Anglong border near Nagaland, and were found safe after nearly 48 hours following an intensive multi-agency search."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"When did this happen?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The patrol began on July 23, last contact was made on the evening of July 24, and the team was located safe on July 27."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"Where exactly did this take place?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In the Langting, Maibang, Khepre, Manderdisa, and Hatikhola forest ranges, in the border area between Assam's Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts, close to Nagaland."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"Which agencies conducted the search?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Assam Forest Department, Assam Police, and Assam Rifles, using ground search teams and drones."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"Was anyone hurt?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, all 23 personnel were found safe and returned to base without injuries."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"Why did the search take nearly 48 hours?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The patrol area is remote, largely inaccessible by road, and lacks communication facilities, requiring extensive ground search supplemented by drones."}}, {"@type":"Question","name":"Could something like this happen again?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The terrain and communication gaps that enabled this incident remain an ongoing operational challenge for forest patrol teams in remote Northeast India."}} ]} Sources Indian Masterminds, Organiser, Pratidin Time, Hub Network, The Sentinel Assam, News Live.
