Seven killed in landslide in Darjeeling; rescue operations underway

Darjeeling | At least seven people were killed in a major landslide triggered by incessant rainfall in the Darjeeling subdivision of West Bengal on Saturday, officials said.

The landslide, which occurred near one of the hill slopes on the Mirik-Sukhiapokhri road, disrupted vehicular movement and snapped communication links to several nearby areas, they said.

"At least seven deaths have been reported due to a major landslide in Darjeeling subdivision triggered by heavy rainfall since last night. We don't have the exact figures right now as the rescue and relief work has just started," Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Richard Lepcha told PTI.

He said rescue and relief operations are currently underway by the local administration, police, and disaster response teams.

Officials from the state disaster management department and the Darjeeling district administration have been deployed, along with local volunteers, to assist in the rescue efforts, officials said.

Heavy rainfall since Friday night has led to multiple reports of soil erosion and minor landslides across the hills, affecting road connectivity in several parts of Darjeeling and Mirik, they added.