Death, devastation in Darjeeling: 23 killed as landslides rip through hills after torrential rains

Darjeeling (WB), Oct 5 (PTI) At least 23 people, including children, were killed as relentless rain triggered one of the worst landslides in a decade in Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas on Sunday, sweeping away homes, cutting off roads, isolating villages, and leaving hundreds of stranded tourists amid widespread devastation, officials said.

According to reports compiled by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the West Bengal's Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district administrations, fatalities were reported from several locations - Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Mirik Lake area and the Nagrakata area in Jalpaiguri district.

According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a total of 18 people have died in Darjeeling, with 11 fatalities in Mirik, the worst-hit area, and seven more in the Darjeeling subdivision, including Jorebunglow, Sukia Pokhri, and Sadar Police Station areas.

In a separate rescue operation in Nagrakata, located in the nearby Jalpaiguri district, five bodies were recovered from landslide debris.

"Total number of deaths reported so far is 23, spanning across Mirik, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri," a NDRF official said.

North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha described the situation as "alarming" and maintained that the total death toll till evening was 20 but “is likely to go up." Anit Thapa, chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), which governs the Darjeeling region, stated that landslides have been reported at 35 locations across the picturesque area, known as the "Queen of the Hills".

The landslides, described by officials as the worst since 2015 landslide which killed nearly 40 people in Darjeeling, have left behind a trail of devastation.

Entire slopes have caved in, highways buried under thick mud, and communication lines snapped.

The Mirik-Sukhiapokhri road, a key road connecting several hamlets, remains blocked.

Hundreds of tourists who had thronged the hills for Durga Puja and post-festive vacations found themselves marooned amid the chaos.

Families from Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly, visiting Mirik, Ghoom, and Lepchajagat, were forced to stay indoors as the hills were battered by torrential rain since Saturday night.

According to the NDRF, road connectivity remains severely disrupted across Darjeeling and North Sikkim, with an iron bridge connecting Siliguri to the Mirik-Darjeeling route damaged, cutting off access to the region.

As the situation worsened, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a high-level meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna, opened a 24x7 control room, and said she would visit North Bengal on Monday (October 6) to assess the situation.

She also announced compensation for the victims.

"The situation is grave. Due to incessant rain in Bhutan, water has overflowed into North Bengal. This disaster is unfortunate- natural calamities are beyond our control," Banerjee told a news channel.

She said more than 300 mm of rainfall was recorded in just 12 hours, leading to severe flooding and landslides across at least seven sites in Darjeeling and adjoining areas.

Banerjee also assured stranded tourists that the government would make arrangements to bring them back safely.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives and said the situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas was being closely monitored.

"Deeply pained by the loss of lives due to a bridge mishap in Darjeeling. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas is being closely monitored in the wake of heavy rains and landslides...," he said in a post on X.

Several people were rescued from the debris in Dhar Gaon, Nagarakata, where heavy mudslides flattened several houses.

Temporary relief camps have been set up in coordination with NGOs and the district administration, while many families in Mirik have been moved to safer locations.

Darjeeling MP and BJP leader Raju Bista has written to the CM requesting that the landslides be declared a "state-level disaster." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the loss of lives and urged the Centre to provide assistance to the state.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert for extremely heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong, till October 6. It warned of more landslides and road blockages due to saturated soil conditions. A red alert was also issued for Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts, while an orange alert (Be Prepared) was sounded for Darjeeling district.

Sunday's disaster bears grim echoes of the October 1968 deluge, the deadliest in the region's recorded history, when nearly 1,000 people perished as continuous downpours washed away entire settlements in the hill districts and Sikkim, and the plains.

From the devastating slides of 1899, which killed 72 people in the then British hill station, to the Ambootia landslide of 1968 and the recurrent cloudburst-induced disasters of 1950 and 2015, Darjeeling's fragile terrain has been repeatedly reshaped by nature's fury.

The state government has kept emergency control rooms in Siliguri, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri on high alert, with additional teams of civil defence and state disaster force kept on standby. PTI PNT SUS ASK NN PNT MNB