Rain, landslides wreak havoc in north Bengal, death toll rises to 24

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is to visit North Bengal on Monday to assess the grim situation caused by incessant rains, flash floods and multiple landslides that have left at least 24 people dead, scores missing and hundreds stranded in the hills.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Miss Banerjee, who has been monitoring the situation from the control room at Nabanna since early Sunday, told a vernacular television channel that she would leave for Siliguri along with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and other senior officials. “I will reach there by Monday afternoon and review the ground situation from Siliguri,” she said.

Incessant overnight rains have triggered massive landslides in several parts of Darjeeling district, with Mirik and Sukhiapokhri emerging as the worst-hit. A bridge collapse at Mirik claimed at least nine lives, while seven others were reported dead in Sukhiya. Another fatality was confirmed from Bijanbari, police said.

The torrential rain and landslides have snapped road connectivity between Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Sikkim. The arterial NH-10 linking Siliguri to Gangtok has been blocked at multiple points after the Teesta river overflowed near 29th Mile and Bhalukhola, submerging long stretches of the highway.