The queen of the mountains has once again been destroyed by heavy rains, in which many people lost their lives and caused heavy havoc. The information about the rain started from the night of 3 October was released by the Indian Meteorological Department only 12 hours ago. This six -hour torrential rains destroyed the Dudhia bridge over the Balasan river, which connects Siliguri to the tourism city Mirik and disrupted all national and state highways. Darjeeling, famous for its beauty and healthy climate, has been a victim of many natural disasters in the past. Available records suggest that there were large -scale landslides in 1899, 1934, 1950, 1968, 1975, 1980, 1980, 1980 and recently 2011 and 2015. In October 1968, there was a devastating flood in October, in which more than a thousand people were killed.
Heavy landslide due to rain in Darjeeling hills, 23 people died
At least 23 people, including several children, were killed and many others were injured in heavy landslides due to continuous rains in Mirik and Darjeeling hills of West Bengal on Sunday. Officials said many houses were washed away due to landslides, roads were damaged, many remote villages were lost and hundreds of tourists were trapped.
According to the report compiled by the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district administration of the NDRF and the Government of Bengal, people have been reported to have killed people from many places – Sarsali, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar village (Mechi), Nagrakata and Mirik Lake region.
Five bodies were recovered from landslide debris in a separate rescue operation at Nagarkata in nearby Jalpaiguri district. A NDRF official said, “So far a total of 23 people have died in Mirik, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.” North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha told the ‘PTI-language’ that the situation is “worrisome”, describing the loss of life and property as tragic.
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He said in the evening, “The death toll was 20. This number is expected to increase.” Anit Thapa, Chief Executive Officer of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), who controlled the Darjeeling region, said that landslides have been reported at 35 places in this picturesque region famous as the queen of the mountains. According to the NDRF statement, at least 11 people have died in Mirik, the most affected area of landslides and seven injured have been rescued from the area.
Seven people died in Darjeeling and rescue operations continue with the help of police, local administration and disaster response teams. Five bodies have been recovered from landslide debris in a separate rescue operation at Nagarkata in nearby Jalpaiguri district. Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Richard Lepcha told ‘PTI-Bhasha’, “Seven people have died in a fierce landslide in Darjeeling subdivision due to heavy rains since last night. Rescue and relief work continues. ”
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Hundreds of tourists in the Darjeeling hills are trapped due to heavy rainfall due to heavy rains to enjoy the festivals after Durga Puja and Puja. Many of them, including families and groups from Kolkata and other parts of Bengal, were visiting popular places such as Mirik, Ghoom and Lepachagat. The hills were raining since Saturday.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced compensation for the victims, but did not mention the amount and said that she would visit North Bengal on October 6 and assess the region’s situation, where a large number of tourists have also been affected. He did not give any data of those who died. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the deaths and said that in view of heavy rains and landslides, the situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas is being closely monitored.
At least 40 people were rescued from the rubble in Dhar village of Nagrakata where many houses collapsed due to heavy landslides. Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari claimed that he had information that 21 people lost their lives in this disaster. Landslides disrupted traffic on major routes including Mirik-Sukhiapokhari road while communication lines of several hill settlements were broken.
While talking to the TV9 Bangla news channel over the phone, Banerjee described the situation as “serious”. He said, “Water has been washed away in North Bengal due to continuous rains in Bhutan. This disaster is unfortunate – natural disasters are out of our control. We are very sad. I have met the Chief Secretary with digital medium with officials of five affected districts. I have been monitoring the situation since six in the morning.”
According to Banerjee, there was more than 300 mm of rain in just 12 hours, causing severe floods and landslides at at least seven places. He compared the situation with the severe floods in Kolkata during the festive season last month. He said, “It has been raining heavy for 12 hours continuously. Landslides have occurred in seven places. I am keeping a close watch and hopefully on Monday, I will reach there by 3 pm.”
Thousands of tourists are stranded throughout the region due to landslides and blockage barriers. The Chief Minister assured him that the state government would arrange to bring them back safely and appealed to the tourists not to panic and do not hurry to leave. He said, “Many tourists are trapped. I request them not to hurry. Please stay where they are. The hoteliers should not take more money from them. Their security is our responsibility and the administration will ensure that.” Banerjee also announced that the families of those killed in the disaster would get government compensation and one of their members will get employment.
However, he did not mention the amount. A senior police official said that due to heavy and continuous rains, there has been a huge obstacle in rescue operations. He said, “This area is slippery and many houses have been damaged. The damage is still being assessed. It is very difficult to work for machines on these slopes.” Many families in Mirik have been transferred to safe places as precautionary measures, while temporary relief camps have been set up with the coordination of local NGOs and district administration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on ‘X’, “I have been very sad due to the loss of life and property in a bridge accident in Darjeeling.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert of extremely heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal including Darjeeling and Kalimpong till October 6. Also, the delicate condition of the soil is warned of more landslides and blockage on the roads. According to the NDRF, road connectivity in Darjeeling district and North Sikkim is severely interrupted and an iron bridge connecting Siliguri to the Mirik-Darjilling route has been damaged, which disrupted the region.