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Darjeeling deluge kills 18 after landslides sweep through hills
The heavy rainfall began around 6pmon Saturday, impacting neighbouring regions of Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal, where over 50 people have reportedly died due to landslides and flash floods
Massive landslides and raging floodwaters triggered by incessant rains since Saturday night have killed 18 people, snapped key communication and transport links, destroyed bridges, and left several injured in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills of West Bengal, officials said on Sunday. The devastation continued unabated till 5pm on Sunday.
Officials warned that the death toll could rise, with several injured still in critical condition at hospitals in Darjeeling and Siliguri as the barrage of monsoon-related tragedies continued to haunt the Himalayan mountains and foothills. Among the victims, eleven — including three children — died in the Mirik subdivision of Darjeeling district, according to authorities.
The heavy rainfall began around 6pmon Saturday, impacting neighbouring regions of Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal, where over 50 people have reportedly died due to landslides and flash floods.
State administration and army officials reported that the calamities in Darjeeling, a popular tourist hill station, destroyed two steel bridges, damaged four national highways and more than a dozen state roads, and severely affected houses, commercial establishments, and government properties. At least five teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed across the region by Sunday evening, continuing search and rescue operations. Officials also said that thousands of tourists remained stranded in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Mirik and have been advised to stay indoors. The influx of visitors had surged during the post-Durga Puja holidays. Darjeeling reported numerous landslides between Saturday and Sunday.
“Reports of missing persons are yet to be confirmed,” said an official from Darjeeling’s Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), speaking on condition of anonymity.
The landslides caused severe damage to crucial infrastructure, including NH-10 — the lifeline connecting Sikkim and Kalimpong — and NH-110, which links Siliguri to Darjeeling. NH-717A, the second road connecting Sikkim with Siliguri, also suffered damage at multiple points. Traffic movement on NH-10, which is the main road to Sikkim, resumed on Sunday evening.
The steel bridge at Dhudia, connecting Siliguri and Mirik, sustained major damage, as did a second steel bridge at the Bijanbari community block in Darjeeling district. Apart from national highways, arterial roads such as Rohini Road — connecting Siliguri and Kurseong via Simulbari — were also affected.
“Of the 18 victims, 11 died in Mirik, four in Jorebunglow, two in the Sukhia Pokhari police station area, and one in the Sadar area,” a senior official, also speaking anonymously, said.
“Seven deaths were reported in the Darjeeling subdivision, with others reported in the Mirik subdivision of Darjeeling district,” added Richard Lepcha, the Darjeeling sub-divisional officer.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert on Saturday for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri, warning of extremely heavy rainfall. Between 8am Saturday and 8am Sunday, Darjeeling and Kalimpong received 145 mm and 131 mm of rain, respectively, while Jalpaiguri recorded 214 mm.
IMD attributed the intense downpour to a weakened depression over the Bay of Bengal which turned into a low-pressure system — triggering intense rainfall across several parts of eastern and central India.
“Heavier rainfall was observed over the eastern Himalayan region due to the influence of local topography,” said M Mohapatra, Director General of the IMD.
An IMD forecast has predicted “heavy rainfall over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on October 6.”
“With roads and communications badly affected, tourists are being advised not to leave their accommodations,” said GTA spokesperson SP Sharma. “People should avoid traveling to the hills at this time.”
Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson KK Sharma announced the cancellation of nine trains on Monday due to inundated tracks.
The government of Bhutan requested assistance from the Indian Army to evacuate citizens stranded by floods along the Torsa river which flows down into Bengal’s Alipurduar district.
“Responding swiftly to an emergency evacuation request on October 5, the Indian Army launched two helicopters from Sevoke Road Aviation Base to undertake a critical rescue mission in the Phuentsholing area of Bhutan,” the Army said in a statement.
The well-marked low-pressure area over north Chhattisgarh and adjoining parts of north interior Odisha and Jharkhand has weakened further and now lies over north Bihar and its vicinity. The associated cyclonic circulation persists over northeast Bihar, extending up to middle tropospheric levels, IMD said.
In addition, a western disturbance is present as a cyclonic circulation over Jammu and its surrounding areas at mid-tropospheric levels. Meanwhile, two troughs are currently active: one extends from north Bihar to north Odisha via Jharkhand at lower tropospheric levels and another runs from coastal Andhra Pradesh down to the Comorin area across Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, the agency said.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a high-level meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna, opened a 24x7 control room, and said she was personally monitoring the developments.
“I am deeply worried and concerned that several areas in both North Bengal and South Bengal have been flooded due to sudden huge rains within a few hours last night as well as due to rush of excessive river waters in our State from outside,” Banerjee posted on X.
The chief minister, scheduled to visit North Bengal on Monday, noted, “Sudden rainfall exceeding 300 mm in 12 hours in North Bengal, coupled with excessive water flow into the Sankosh river and rivers from Bhutan and Sikkim,” has worsened the crisis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed their condolences over the loss of lives.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Authorities are closely monitoring the situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas affected by heavy rainfall and landslides. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a quick recovery.”
Mirik residents recounted the devastating landslides in the early hours of Sunday. “Landslides struck several houses at Dhar Gaon between 2am and 3am, killing four people. They had come from Siliguri to celebrate Dasai (Dussehra),” said Aditya Pradhan of the Mirik Panchayat Samiti.
Kailash Khawas, president of the Samiti, added, “Most parts of the Mirik community block have suffered heavy damages. Eleven people, including three children, died in their sleep when landslides hit their homes. Many villages have been cut off, and hundreds of affected residents are taking shelter in community halls.”
In Kalimpong district’s Teesta Bazar, several houses were damaged by the swelling Teesta river. The bazar was severely hit by a flash flood on Saturday.
Darjeeling superintendent of police Praween Prakash said, “We are assessing the full extent of damage caused by the landslides and floods.”
At least 1,528 people had already died during this monsoon season, of which 935 were due to heavy rain and flash floods, 570 due to lightning and thunderstorms and 22 in heat waves, IMD had earlier said. Of these, 141 deaths were in Himachal Pradesh; 139 in Jammu and Kashmir, 41 in Uttarakhand; 290 in Madhya Pradesh, among others.
The disaster triggered a sharp political confrontation with the BJP targeting Banerjee for attending a cultural event instead of rushing to the affected region.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya criticised Banerjee for participating in the state government’s annual Durga Puja immersion carnival in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the disaster struck. “She should have rushed to Darjeeling instead of attending a carnival,” Bhattacharya said.
Responding to the criticism, Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the event held cultural significance beyond state borders.
“The carnival is held every year after Unesco recognised Kolkata’s Durga Puja as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. The chief minister is doing everything she can to tackle the crisis,” Ghosh said, accusing the BJP of politicising a tragedy. “People die in natural disasters in BJP-ruled states as well. The BJP should stop playing politics.”
(with inputs from Agencies, Kolkata bureau, and Jayashree Nandi)
