Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting Darjeeling today. She chaired an emergency meeting on the north Bengal floods on Sunday.
In the midst of widespread destruction, officials reported that at least 20 people, including children, were killed on Sunday when unrelenting rain caused one of the worst landslides in ten years across the Mirik and Darjeeling hills. The landslides swept away homes, cut off roads, isolated villages, and left hundreds of tourists stranded.
Reports from the district government and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) indicate that fatalities were reported from a number of sites, including Nagrakata, Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), and the Mirik Lake area.
North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha described the situation as “alarming”. “As of now, the death toll is 20. It is likely to go up,” Guha told PTI.
The NDRF reports that seven injured individuals have been rescued from debris, while 11 people have died in Mirik, the area most hit.
Even though rescue teams were working around the clock in collaboration with the police, local government, and emergency response units, seven persons were murdered in the Darjeeling subdivision.
“Seven deaths have been reported due to a major landslide in Darjeeling subdivision triggered by heavy rainfall since last night,” Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Richard Lepcha said.
Officials said the landslides have left a trail of destruction and are the deadliest since the 2015 Darjeeling landslide that killed around 40 people.
Communication lines have broken, highways have been buried in heavy mud, and entire slopes have collapsed.
A vital lifeline that connects a number of hamlets, the Mirik-Sukhiapokhri road, is still blocked.
Amid the pandemonium, hundreds of visitors who had flocked to the hills for Durga Puja and post-festive vacations were left stranded. Families traveling to Mirik, Ghoom, and Lepchajagat from Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly were compelled to stay indoors due to the hills being inundated with rain since Saturday night.
The iron bridge that connects Siliguri to the Mirik-Darjeeling route is broken, preventing access to the area, and road connection throughout Darjeeling and North Sikkim is still seriously interrupted, according to the NDRF.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a 24-hour control room, conducted a high-level meeting in the state secretariat Nabanna as the situation deteriorated, and announced that she will travel to North Bengal on Monday, October 6, to evaluate the situation.
She also announced compensation for the victims.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting Darjeeling today. She chaired an emergency meeting on the north Bengal floods on Sunday. “On Saturday night, there was sudden rainfall, exceeding 300 mm, in 12 hours in north Bengal. Simultaneously, there was an excessive flow of water into the Sankosh and generally, the flow of river waters from Bhutan and Sikkim. This caused a disaster. We are shocked and saddened to know that we lost some brothers and sisters… I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and shall send all assistance to them immediately,” Banerjee said.
“I have been monitoring the situation around the clock since Saturday night. I held a virtual meeting with the chief secretary, the DG of police and North Bengal DMs and SPs. The meeting was attended by Gautam Deb and Anit Thapa. I will go to North Bengal with my chief secretary on Monday,” she added.
Police Advisory for Tourists
“Due to heavy rainfall last night, landslides have occurred on some roads in Darjeeling, affecting traffic movement. Our teams are working to clear the roads. Tourists who are stranded or require assistance may contact the Darjeeling Police Control Room at +91 91478 89078 or via WhatsApp,” the advisory said.
