The situation has worsened in Darjeeling in North Bengal. The incidents of landslides, floods and bridge breakdowns due to continuous rains have caused severe havoc in the area. After the heavy rains on Sunday, one of the most frightening landslides of the last decade in Darjeeling and surrounding areas killed 23 people, including children. Hundreds of tourists are trapped, villages are isolated, roads have broken and houses have turned into debris. At the same time, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit North Bengal today
The continuous rains have caused the most damage in the Mirik area of ​​Darjeeling. On Sunday, 23 people died after the breakdown of Dudia Iron Bridge in Mirik’s Dudhia. This bridge used to connect Mirik to Siliguri and Karsiyang. The painful pictures of people buried in the debris are heartbreaking.
CM will visit North Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit North Bengal today. She will assess the devastation caused by heavy rains and inspect relief work. The victims are expected to get immediate assistance from the Chief Minister’s visit.
Most destruction in Mirik
According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a total of 18 people have died in Darjeeling, including 11 in Mirik and 7 people in Jorbanglo, Sukia Pokhari and Sadar police station areas. 5 bodies have been recovered from the debris of landslide in Nagarkata in nearby Jalpaiguri district.
A NDRF official said, “A total of 23 people have died in Mirik, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri so far.”
The situation is worrying
North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha has described the situation as worrying. He says that the death toll has reached 20 and there is a possibility of increase in it.
Anit Thapa, Chief Executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), said that landslides have taken place at 35 places in Darjeeling. This is the most frightening landslide after 2015, when about 40 people died.
Mirik, Nagrakata, Sukhani and Angrawas are badly affected by floods. Thousands of bighas of fields have been submerged in water and many houses have been completely destroyed. Roads and houses in Jalpaiguri’s Malbazar are filled with water. Farmers’ hard work has been ruined and broken huts are telling the horrors of the storm.
Relief and rescue operations continue
NDRF and police teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. Additional SP Abhishek Roy of Karsiyang said, ‘So far 23 bodies have been removed from the rubble. Efforts are on to remove the bodies of two more people. Karsiang Road going to Darjeeling is completely closed due to landslides. The condition of Rohini Road and Fankhadari Road near Gaurishankar is also bad. Currently, Tindariya Road is operational and we are trying to remove tourists trapped in Mirik in 3-4 hours.
IMD released alert
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of heavy rain for the next 48 hours. The administration has appealed people to be vigilant and go to safe places. The water level of many rivers is flowing above the danger mark, causing the situation to become more serious.
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