20 dead, several injured as torrential rains trigger landslides across Darjeeling and Mirik

At least 20 people, including several children, lost their lives and dozens were injured as relentless heavy rainfall unleashed devastating landslides and flash floods across the Mirik and Darjeeling hills in North Bengal on Sunday. The calamity, triggered by over 300 mm of rainfall within 12 hours, swept away houses, disrupted vital road links, and stranded hundreds of tourists amid widespread devastation.

According to reports from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the district administration, casualties were reported from multiple locations, including Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Nagrakata, and near Mirik Lake.

The NDRF confirmed that 11 people were killed in Mirik, the worst-affected area, while seven injured persons were rescued from debris. In Darjeeling, another seven fatalities were recorded as rescue and search operations stretched late into the night with joint efforts from police, local administration, and disaster response teams.

“Seven deaths have been reported due to a major landslide in the Darjeeling subdivision triggered by continuous rainfall since last night. Rescue and relief work is underway,”
said Darjeeling SDO Richard Lepcha.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the situation in North Bengal as “grave” and announced her visit to the affected districts on Monday to assess the damage and coordinate relief measures.

Banerjee said the torrential rainfall had caused severe flooding and landslides at several points, drawing parallels to the intense flooding that recently hit Kolkata. She will travel to Siliguri on Monday afternoon, accompanied by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, after attending the Durga Puja Carnival in Kolkata, which will feature more than 100 puja committees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the tragedy and assured all possible assistance to the affected people.

“Deeply pained by the loss of lives due to a bridge mishap in Darjeeling. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas is being closely monitored in the wake of heavy rains and landslides,”
Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her condolences, describing the incident as “distressing.”

“The tragic loss of lives due to heavy rain and landslides in Darjeeling, West Bengal, is distressing. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the success of rescue and relief operations,”
Murmu posted on X.