• Source:JND
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Darjeeling Landslide: The death toll from the devastating landslides and floods in northern West Bengal rose to 28 on Monday, as disaster management personnel continued rescue operations. Several people remain missing, and thousands of tourists are stranded in isolated hill areas, officials said.

North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha warned that the toll could rise further.

Darjeeling Landslide: Over 400 landslides hit Darjeeling, Kalimpong | Updates

- Triggered by extremely heavy rainfall, more than 400 landslides struck Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts within just four hours between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. The landslides killed over 20 people and injured several others, according to officials.

- The situation has not deteriorated further over the past 24 hours, as no fresh spells of heavy rain have been recorded in the hills or the foothills since Sunday morning.

- Preliminary assessments by the disaster management department revealed that at least 546 houses, 10 bridges, and 57 water supply lines were completely destroyed in Darjeeling alone. The district recorded around 406 landslides during the night. In Kalimpong, 21 more houses were reported damaged.

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- Minister Guha confirmed that the death toll increased following the recovery of another body late Sunday night. "The situation remains extremely challenging. Several people are still missing, and the toll is likely to increase. Continuous rainfall is hampering rescue operations," he told PTI.

- Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before departing for Siliguri, the largest town in north Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the floods and their destruction as "man-made." She announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased victim and offered a job as a home guard to one member of each bereaved family.

"So far, we have received reports of 23 deaths caused by the floods in north Bengal. The region received over 300 mm of rainfall in a span of 12 hours on Saturday night and early Sunday," the chief minister said.

- "We have arranged 45 buses to bring back stranded tourists from flood-hit North Bengal,"said CM Mamata Banerjee at Kolkata airport.

- The landslides, triggered by this intense rainfall, have wreaked havoc across the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars region in the foothills, officials said.

- Among the worst-affected areas are Mirik, Sukhiapokhri, and Jorebunglow in Darjeeling district, and Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district.

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- Rescue operations, led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), continued at multiple sites. Heavy earth-moving machinery is being used to locate those feared trapped under debris, officials added.

- Hundreds of tourists who had travelled to the hills for Durga Puja vacations remain stranded as key arterial roads leading to Siliguri have been blocked.

- Efforts are underway to evacuate them in batches via alternative routes, an official said.

- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a weather alert for continued heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region until Tuesday morning. The warning covers the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar.

( With PTI Inputs )