While Darjeeling has seen large-scale devastation and at last 18 deaths in rain and landslides, there are now fears of flooding in the Dooars region of West Bengal too.
Authorities in North Bengal are on high alert after Bhutan's Tala Hydropower Dam began overflowing due to a technical failure.
Follow live updates from Bengal: Death toll may rise as rescue ops continue
Bhutan's National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) said the Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) reported a malfunction in the dam gates, which failed to open, resulting in river water spilling over the structure. Bhutan has formally alerted the West Bengal government to prepare for possible impacts.
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India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said its team based in Alipurduar has been put on the "highest alert level".
All personnel on leave have been recalled, while an additional 15 rescuers from Siliguri are being deployed to reinforce ground response.
{{/usCountry}}All personnel on leave have been recalled, while an additional 15 rescuers from Siliguri are being deployed to reinforce ground response.
{{/usCountry}}Worse, according to the weather outlook, a storm originating over eastern Uttar Pradesh has moved eastward and is now approaching Madarihat also in the Dooars area. If heavy rainfall occurs in Bhutan's hills, rivers in North Bengal are expected to swell rapidly, increasing the threat of flash floods.
Meanwhile, the NDRF has deployed multiple teams in the rain-battered Mirik area of Darjeeling subdivision in West Bengal after torrential downpours triggered massive landslides, killing many people and leaving several villages cut off from the rest of the region.
NDRF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mohsen Shahedi said three teams have already been mobilised from Darjeeling, Siliguri, and Alipurduar, while two more teams, one each from Malda and Kolkata, were en route to the affected sites.
"Our personnel are engaged in intensive rescue and relief operations to locate missing persons and assist the stranded villagers," Shahedi told ANI.
Continuous heavy rainfall since last night has caused large-scale destruction in parts of the Darjeeling district, particularly in Mirik and Sukhia Pokhari areas, where roads and houses have been washed away.
(with ANI inputs)