Two persons were killed and three others have gone missing after incessant rainfall caused a stream to swell and sweep away a camp at the construction site of the Sevoke- Rangpo rail line at Mamkhola on the Bengal-Sikkim border today. Rainfall since yesterday also caused extensive damage in Kalimpong district with landslides occurring at different places.
According to the Kalimpong district administration, the two deceased persons have been identified as 35-year-old Dhan Singh Bhandari, a Nepali National, and 19-year-old Ronit Tirkey from Alipurduar district. “There was a labour camp of the ITDCL rail construction company involved in the construction of the Sevoke-Rungpo rail project at Mamkhola near Rangpo under the Kalimpong PS. Early morning today, due to intense rainfall and falling of boulders, the rivulet near the camp swelled and those in the camp were washed away,”
Kalimpong Superintendent of Police Hari Krishna Pai said. Two others who were injured in the incident, both hailing from Cooch Behar, have been admitted to a hospital on the Sikkim side, it is learnt. While Mr Pai maintained earlier that four persons were missing in the incident, the district administration said three were untraceable. The administration said a search and rescue operation was ongoing.
Meanwhile, three persons were injured at Chisopani in Kalimpong when two houses were damaged by a landslide, with two more partially damaged. The incident occurred after 12 midnight. The landslide there now poses a threat to around 22 families, who have been shifted to a community hall.
More landslides were reported at other places like Bhalukhop, Sherpa Goan, Novelty, Mahakal Dara and Soureni. National Highway-10, the main road connecting Kalimpong and Sikkim with the plains, was also affected by landslides with road stretches closed for vehicles for hours today. Landslides occurred at five places, two of them near Melli, Adheri Khola, Mam Khola and Bhalu Khola.
In Darjeeling, the road connecting Darjeeling with Jorethang in Sikkim has also been blocked due to a landslide at Tukvar, it is learnt.