‘The hill just came down like a wave’: How 12 hrs of torrential rain devastated Darjeeling

Tourists who came during Durga Puja holidays were left stranded as the otherwise tranquil hills of Darjeeling collapsed into chaos after 12 hours of torrential rains triggered multiple landslides. So far, 23 people, including children have been killed in what is believed to be one of the worst landslides in a decade in Darjeeling. The landslides have swept away homes, cut off roads, isolated villages, flattened hamlets, and left hundreds stranded. 

Fatalities were reported from several locations, including Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Mirik Lake area and the Nagrakata area in Jalpaiguri district, according to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the West Bengal's Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district administrations. 

Mirik was the worst-hit area, where 18 people were reported dead and 11 injured. Seven more were killed in the Darjeeling subdivision, including Jorebunglow, Sukia Pokhri, and Sadar Police Station areas. 

A 58-year-old resident from Mirik, Pema Bhutia, said, "We have seen floods and storms, but never this. Everything happened in minutes. The hill just came down, like a wave of earth." A member of the civil defence team working near Teesta Bazar, Rohit Chhetri, said that they have not gone home since Saturday. "The ground is still unstable, but we can't stop. People are waiting," he said.

Some of the tourists who were visiting during the Durga Puja holidays joined in on the rescue efforts. "We couldn't just sit and watch. The locals have been so kind to us. This is the least we can do," said tourist Anjali Das.

The NDRF said road connectivity remained severely disrupted across Darjeeling and North Sikkim. An iron bridge connecting Siliguri to the Mirik-Darjeeling route was damaged, cutting off access to the region. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said the situation remained alarming. 

Several people were rescued from the debris in Dhar Gaon, Nagarakata, where heavy mudslides flattened several houses. Temporary relief camps have been set up in coordination with NGOs and the district administration. Many families in Mirik have been moved to safer locations.

Darjeeling MP and BJP leader Raju Bista has written to the Chief Minister requesting that the landslides be declared a state-level disaster.

The India Meteorological Department has issued an alert for extremely heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong, till October 6. It warned of more landslides and road blockages due to saturated soil conditions. A red alert was also issued for Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts, while an orange alert was sounded for Darjeeling district.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "The situation is grave. Due to incessant rain in Bhutan, water has overflowed into North Bengal. This disaster is unfortunate – natural calamities are beyond our control."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the situation is being closely monitored. "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...," he said.