Rinchen Lama, son-in-law of one of the deceased, was sleeping outside when the fatal incident occurred, while the deceased’s relatives were inside the house, reported ANI. Recalling the event, Lama stated that he could not even hear the landslide due to the heavy rains. He woke up early in the morning to find the house flooded and covered with debris.
Lama told the media, “I was sleeping outside; my mom-in-law, dad-in-law, and my sister had come here and were sleeping inside. It was raining heavily last night. When I woke at 6:25 AM, I saw that water had entered the house and noticed that a landslide had occurred,” as cited by ANI.
He further added, “It is the same everywhere; across Darjeeling it is the same. Many other relatives have not reached till now,” highlighting the difficult situation across the region.
Meanwhile, at least seven people have died and more than 100 others have been rescued following heavy rains that triggered landslides in Darjeeling and surrounding areas of West Bengal. The incessant rains have caused widespread havoc, including the collapse of a bridge, seven fatalities, two missing persons, and the closure of multiple roads.
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation in Darjeeling, Kurseong’s Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Roy stated, “Seven dead bodies have already been recovered from the debris. We have information about two more people. Work is being done to recover their bodies too,” as reported by ANI.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been conducting flood and water rescue operations in the affected areas. So far, they have evacuated over 160 people following the heavy rains and recovered one deceased individual during the operations.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu expressed her grief over the loss of lives in the bridge mishap in Darjeeling caused by heavy rain and landslides. She offered her condolences to the bereaved families, wished a speedy recovery to the injured, and prayed for the success of the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/west-bengal-darjeeling-landslide-destroys-house-family-of-3-dies-under-debris-23597403