Gangtok, Aug 26: Incessant rainfall in Sikkim, the Darjeeling hills, and parts of Dooars has led to devastating landslides, tragically claiming the lives of two individuals within the past 24 hours. The relentless downpour disrupted normal life, resulting in blocked roads and the suspension of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) services on Friday.
One victim, Babulal Rai, aged 59, lost his life when a landslide buried him in Puttabong Tea Garden, Vah-Tukar, Darjeeling. The tragic incident occurred at 8 a.m. while Rai was alone at home. A torrent of mud and boulders cascaded down the hill, colliding with his house.
In Gyalshing district, Sikkim, a four-year-old boy named Avhiyan Chettri lost his life when a landslide struck his house.
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Sikkim’s Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), announced that an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh had already been provided to the boy’s family by the district administration. Additionally, Rs 5 lakh would be disbursed from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support the family further, Golay stated.
These landslides significantly impacted road connectivity in the hills and Sikkim on Friday. The NH110 (formerly NH55), which links Siliguri and Darjeeling, was obstructed near Rangbull for approximately two hours, leading to traffic congestion. Furthermore, a section of the highway collapsed at St Mary’s in Kurseong.
Darjeeling District Magistrate S. Ponnambalam reported, “All affected roads have been cleared. Vulnerable people were shifted to safe places and provided with relief.”
Major connecting roads in Sikkim, such as those from Namchi to Jorethang and Melli, as well as from Jorethang to Melli, remained blocked throughout the day.
Due to multiple landslides affecting the tracks at various locations, the DHR services were suspended between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. A DHR official stated, “There were at least five spots, within the 78km-long stretch of the DHR, between Sukna and Ghoom, where boulders and debris obstructed the tracks. We have suspended regular DHR services due to the landslides.” Normal operations will resume after technical experts from DHR inspect the affected areas on Saturday.
Furthermore, heavy rainfall resulted in several areas of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri towns being inundated. The respective civic authorities distributed relief to residents affected by water-logging.
Weather reports indicated that Siliguri received approximately 223mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, while Darjeeling and Soreng in Sikkim recorded showers of around 150mm and 107mm, respectively.
