At least 4 feared dead, several injured as landslides hit Darjeeling, Kalimpong in Bengal and Sikkim

Rescue and relief operations are underway. Death toll is yet to be ascertained as fresh reports are pouring in, superintendent of police of Darjeeling said

Siliguri: At least four people are feared dead and several others injured after heavy rains triggered landslides at multiple places in West Bengal’s Darjeeling and Kalimpong, and neighbouring Sikkim since Saturday night, people aware of the developments said.

Several houses were damaged after the swelling Teesta river at Teesta Bazar in Kalimpong. At Dhudia under Mirik sub-division, many houses were swept away by the Balasan River.

Rescue and relief operations are underway. “Death toll is yet to be ascertained as fresh reports are pouring in,” superintendent of police of Darjeeling district in north Bengal Praween Prakash said.

Local residents of Mirik said that a landslide at Dara Gaon near Soureni hit a house, killing four people who were sleeping. “Landslides hit several houses at Dara Gaon between 2 am and 3 am on Sunday in which four persons were killed. They had gone to Dara Gaon from Salbari near Siliguri to celebrate Dasai (Dusshera), the biggest festival of the Gorkhas,” Mirik Panchayat Samiti leader Aditya Pradhan told HT.

The landslides disrupted connectivity too. The Dhudia bridge, which connects Siliguri and Mirik, suffered major damage. National Highway 10 (NH 10), which connects Sikkim and Kalimpong, was damaged, as were National Highway 110, connecting Siliguri and Darjeeling, and other roads linking different parts of the mountains. National Highway 717A, the alternative route connecting Sikkim with Siliguri in West Bengal, was also damaged at several places.

Landslides have blocked the main road between Darjeeling and Siliguri at Dilaram, and at Whitsel Khola in Kurseong. Rohini road is also severely damaged. In Pulbazar, a bridge connecting Thana Line and other parts of Bijanbari suffered major damage too.

Damages were also reported from areas like Bijanbari, Dhudia, and Teesta Bazar. Several houses were damaged after the Teesta river swelled at Teesta Bazar in Kalimpong. At Dhudia under Mirik sub-division, many houses were reportedly swept away by the Balasan river, which also caused major damage to the Dhudia bridge connecting Siliguri and Mirik.