Sikkim Armed Police fish out the remains of the car at Sombaria from the mud and slush.
Aug. 20: Five persons died in the Darjeeling hills and adjacent Sikkim as heavy overnight rain triggered scores of landslides, cutting off roads and blocking NH31A for several hours.
The rains also caused the rivers in the foothills to swell and two boys aged six and seven were swept away by floodwaters in Jaigaon in the Dooars. The Jalpaiguri administration has issued red alerts on the Torsa and Kaljani rivers.
A couple, Bal Bahadur Rai, 50, and Shanta Rai, 45, died when a hillside came crashing down on them at Okayati Tea Estate, about 35km from Kurseong town. Police said the landslide occurred around 2.30am.
According to Asha Mukhia Lama, the relief officer of Kurseong, more than 50 houses were damaged in the Mirik civic area and 70 were partially damaged. “Relief work is in progress. Several families both from the municipality as well as the panchayat areas are being shifted to safer shelters. Some have moved in with relatives,” Lama said. Relief centres have been opened at community halls, schools and club buildings where 15 families have been accommodated.
In Sikkim, two persons, one of them an 18-year-old boy, were killed in a landslide in Sombaria, about 110km from Gangtok. The district collector of West Sikkim, S. Pradhan, who is touring the affected areas, said the dead were Pushpamani Pradhan, 60, and Sameer Subba.
He said the two died when the car they were travelling in with eight others were hit by mud and boulders around 10pm yesterday. “They were buried under the mud but the others managed to escape with minor injuries,” the collector said. Houses, including government buildings like the block office at Sombaria, were partially damaged
In Kalimpong subdivision, 14 houses were swept away in Melli and traffic came to a halt for the good part of the day on NH31A that connects Sikkim. At Gitkolbong village near Lava, seven-year-old Asish Rai was buried alive.
Nine shanties were swept away by the overflowing waters of Mangar Khola at Melli, and another five by the Teesta. “We could not retrieve any of our belongings as we were caught unawares. The landslide happened after 1am. Luckily, we could rush out of our homes in the nick of time,” said Parimal Pal, who lives in Melli.
The highway was blocked primarily because of two major landslides at Melli, 20km from Kalimpong, and one at 28th Mile, 25km from the hill town. Traffic at Melli was partially restored around noon. Only vehicles from Kalimpong and Darjeeling on their way to Sikkim could pass. Cars from Siliguri were stuck at 28th Mile till 2.30pm when the highway there was opened for one-way traffic.
Sources in the BRO, which maintains the highway, said as many 12 landslides occurred in a 40-km stretch of the highway starting from Coronation Bridge, 22km from Siliguri. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck. “I negotiated many small landslides on the way from Siliguri, but at 27th Mile had to take a detour via Mungpoo-3rd Mile-Teesta to reach here,” said P.T. La when media caught up with him at Melli around 2.30pm.
La took seven hours to reach Melli which otherwise would have taken a mere one-and-half hours.
The governor of Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, has extended his “condolences and concern” to all those affected. “At the same time, I would like to convey my appreciation to the district authorities and… Border Road Organisation which are doing their utmost,” Gandhi said in a media release.
Aug. 20: Five persons died in the Darjeeling hills and adjacent Sikkim as heavy overnight rain triggered scores of landslides, cutting off roads and blocking NH31A for several hours.
The rains also caused the rivers in the foothills to swell and two boys aged six and seven were swept away by floodwaters in Jaigaon in the Dooars. The Jalpaiguri administration has issued red alerts on the Torsa and Kaljani rivers.
A couple, Bal Bahadur Rai, 50, and Shanta Rai, 45, died when a hillside came crashing down on them at Okayati Tea Estate, about 35km from Kurseong town. Police said the landslide occurred around 2.30am.
According to Asha Mukhia Lama, the relief officer of Kurseong, more than 50 houses were damaged in the Mirik civic area and 70 were partially damaged. “Relief work is in progress. Several families both from the municipality as well as the panchayat areas are being shifted to safer shelters. Some have moved in with relatives,” Lama said. Relief centres have been opened at community halls, schools and club buildings where 15 families have been accommodated.
In Sikkim, two persons, one of them an 18-year-old boy, were killed in a landslide in Sombaria, about 110km from Gangtok. The district collector of West Sikkim, S. Pradhan, who is touring the affected areas, said the dead were Pushpamani Pradhan, 60, and Sameer Subba.
He said the two died when the car they were travelling in with eight others were hit by mud and boulders around 10pm yesterday. “They were buried under the mud but the others managed to escape with minor injuries,” the collector said. Houses, including government buildings like the block office at Sombaria, were partially damaged
In Kalimpong subdivision, 14 houses were swept away in Melli and traffic came to a halt for the good part of the day on NH31A that connects Sikkim. At Gitkolbong village near Lava, seven-year-old Asish Rai was buried alive.
Nine shanties were swept away by the overflowing waters of Mangar Khola at Melli, and another five by the Teesta. “We could not retrieve any of our belongings as we were caught unawares. The landslide happened after 1am. Luckily, we could rush out of our homes in the nick of time,” said Parimal Pal, who lives in Melli.
The highway was blocked primarily because of two major landslides at Melli, 20km from Kalimpong, and one at 28th Mile, 25km from the hill town. Traffic at Melli was partially restored around noon. Only vehicles from Kalimpong and Darjeeling on their way to Sikkim could pass. Cars from Siliguri were stuck at 28th Mile till 2.30pm when the highway there was opened for one-way traffic.
Sources in the BRO, which maintains the highway, said as many 12 landslides occurred in a 40-km stretch of the highway starting from Coronation Bridge, 22km from Siliguri. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck. “I negotiated many small landslides on the way from Siliguri, but at 27th Mile had to take a detour via Mungpoo-3rd Mile-Teesta to reach here,” said P.T. La when media caught up with him at Melli around 2.30pm.
La took seven hours to reach Melli which otherwise would have taken a mere one-and-half hours.
The governor of Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, has extended his “condolences and concern” to all those affected. “At the same time, I would like to convey my appreciation to the district authorities and… Border Road Organisation which are doing their utmost,” Gandhi said in a media release.
