Heavy rain triggers landslides in Darjeeling hills; roads to Sikkim, Kalimpong hit

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">DARJEELING,:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif"> Heavy overnight rainfall triggered landslides across the Darjeeling hills on Monday, cutting off key routes connecting Kalimpong and Sikkim to Darjeeling for several hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">Road connectivity between Kalimpong and Sikkim to Darjeeling was disrupted in the morning after the swollen Teesta River overflowed near Teesta Bazaar. Traffic resumed around 12:30 pm after the water level receded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">The National Highway-10, the main road linking Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri, was also blocked after massive boulders fell near Coronation Bridge around 4:30 pm. Officials said restoration work was underway and the route was expected to be cleared later in the day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">In Kalimpong, two houses belonging to Mohan Bajracharya and Asta Bajracharya at Ward No. 20 below Rockville School were damaged after a landslide sent mud and debris crashing onto the structures. No casualties were reported as the occupants managed to escape safely.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">“My husband and I were asleep when we heard a loud noise around 4:30 am. We found mud had entered our bedroom and escaped through the window, but we could not save our belongings," Ellie Pradhan, a family member of one of the affected households, said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">Bhawna Pradhan, another resident, said she was inside the house with her two daughters when mud and debris entered their room, prompting them to flee to safety.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">With the Teesta River in spate, the administration issued public announcements through loudspeakers in Kalijhora and Sevoke, urging residents to stay away from riverbanks and remain alert.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,serif">In Darjeeling district, landslides affected connectivity to different areas, with several roads being closed due to landslides but reopened shortly afterwards by the district administration. These included the road at Zingla Tea Estate in Rangli-Rangliot Block, Nayanmore GP and Sepi-Sri Khola roads, both under the Darjeeling-Pulbazar Block.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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