Tourists stranded as rainfall, landslides ravage Darjeeling hills

A postDurga Puja holiday turned into a nightmare for hundreds of tourists in the Darjeeling hills as incessant rainfall triggered multiple landslides on Sunday sweeping away homes blocking highways and leaving scores stranded across the hill districtAt least 20 people including several children have died and many others injured in landslides across Mirik Darjeeling and adjoining areas officials saidThe picturesque Darjeeling often referred to as the Queen of the Hills and known for its tea timber and tourism industries has been brought to its knees by the sheer force of natureOnce echoing with the chatter of holidaymakers and the whistle of the toy train the hill town on Sunday resembled a zone of despair iquest roads buried under mud bridges snapped and frightened families huddled inside hotels and homes waiting for helpMajor highways like NH 55 and NH 10 remain blocked paralysing transport to and from Siliguri and cutting off several remote hamletsAs the situation worsened West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a highlevel meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna opened a 24x7 control room and said she was personally monitoring the developmentsI 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 XThe chief minister who is scheduled to visit North Bengal on Monday said there was sudden rainfall exceeding 300 mm in 12 hours in North Bengal coupled with excessive flow of water into the Sankosh river and river waters from Bhutan and SikkimWe have been shocked and saddened to know that we have lost some brothers and sisters in the situation evolved by huge rainfall and river floods I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and shall send all assistance to the families immediately she addedBanerjee said two iron bridges had collapsed several roads damaged and flooded and huge tracts of land in Darjeeling Kalimpong Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar inundated I have been monitoring the situation from last night on a roundtheclock basis I am going to North Bengal with my chief secretary tomorrow she saidThe chief minister advised stranded tourists to stay put until rescue operations reach themMeanwhile we are advising tourists in North Bengal to stay put where they are till our police evacuates them safely Banerjee wroteDarjeeling police in an advisory urged tourists not to venture outDue to heavy rainfall last night landslides have occurred on some roads in Darjeeling affecting traffic movement Our teams are working to clear the roadsTourists who are stranded or require assistance may contact the Darjeeling Police Control Room at 91 91478 89078 or WhatsApp the advisory saidMany of those trapped spoke of a night filled with fear and helplessness as hillsides slid away under torrential rainWe heard a deafening sound around 2 am and the ground shook When we came out in the morning the road was gone just a heap of mud and trees We are completely cut off from the outer world we just want to go back home safely Praveen Sinha a tourist from Kolkata who was staying in Mirik told reportersFor Ananya Das who travelled from Mumbai with her husband and fiveyearold daughter the experience has been terrifyingWe havent slept properly since last night The hotel staff are kind but they are as helpless as we are she said over a crackling phone lineLocal tour operators said hundreds of tourists who had travelled to the hills during and after Durga Puja are stuck in hotels and homestaysThis is the peak tourist season Many of our guests are stranded in Kalimpong and Mirik Roads are blocked everywhere We are coordinating with police and GTA authorities to ensure their safety said Bikash a tour operator based in DarjeelingThe Gorkhaland Territorial Administration GTA has temporarily closed popular tourist spots such as Tiger Hill Rock Garden and Batasia Loop to prevent further mishaps Toy train services between Darjeeling and Ghum have also been suspendedSeveral families have lost their homes as landslides swept away dwellings perched on fragile hill slopesWe could hear the rumble and within minutes our neighbours house was gone My house also got damaged Pema Lama a resident of Sukhiapokhri told reportersRescue and relief teams comprising local administration police and disaster response forces have been deployed to Mirik Darjeeling and Kalimpong Helicopter assistance may be sought if weather permits officials saidThe incessant downpour has also affected tea gardens with plantation areas reporting flooding and erosion Several culverts have been washed away making it difficult for rescuers to reach remote areasAs the tourist town grapples with the worst rain disaster in recent years thousands remain stranded amid power cuts and disrupted communication For now the rolling hills of Darjeeling once alive with the hum of holidaying families stand silent shrouded in fog and fearThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever