NDRF rushes teams to rain-ravaged Darjeeling as landslides kill seven, cut off villages

Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], October 5 (ANI): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed multiple teams in the rain-battered Mirik area of Darjeeling subdivision in West Bengal after torrential downpours triggered massive landslides, killing at least seven people and leaving several villages cut off from the rest of the region.
According to NDRF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mohsen Shahedi, three teams have already been mobilised from Darjeeling, Siliguri, and Alipurduar, while two more teams, one each from Malda and Kolkata, are en route to the affected sites.
"Our personnel are engaged in intensive rescue and relief operations to locate missing persons and assist the stranded villagers," Shahedi told ANI.
Continuous heavy rainfall since last night has caused large-scale destruction in parts of the Darjeeling district, particularly in Mirik and Sukhia Pokhari areas, where roads and houses have been washed away.
The landslides have also disrupted connectivity on several routes, including key rural link roads, hampering access to relief operations.
Local administration officials, assisted by the NDRF and the state disaster response teams, are engaged in rescuing stranded villagers. Several families have been evacuated from high-risk areas and moved to temporary shelters. Power supply and mobile networks have also been affected in certain regions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued rainfall in parts of north Bengal over the next 24 hours, warning of more landslides and flash floods in hilly terrains. The West Bengal government has placed the district administration on high alert and instructed all departments to maintain coordination with central agencies for effective disaster response.
Darjeeling and its adjoining hill regions are prone to landslides during the monsoon season due to their fragile terrain and deforestation over the years.
The landslide has disrupted vehicular movement and snapped communication links to several nearby areas. (ANI)