Darjeeling death toll rises to 24; survivors begin to rebuild as rain threat continues

At least 24 people, including children, were killed as relentless rain triggered one of the worst landslides in a decade in Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas on Sunday (October 5), sweeping away homes, cutting off roads, isolating villages, and leaving hundreds of tourists stranded amid widespread devastation.

According to reports compiled by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the West Bengal’s Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district administrations, fatalities were reported from several locations — 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), 18 people died in Darjeeling, with 11 fatalities in Mirik, the worst-hit area, and seven more in the Darjeeling subdivision, including Jorebunglow, Sukia Pokhri, and Sadar Police Station areas.

In a separate rescue operation in Nagrakata, located in the nearby Jalpaiguri district, five bodies were recovered from landslide debris. “The total number of deaths reported so far is 23, spanning across Mirik, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri,” said an NDRF official.

Also read: Darjeeling landslides toll climbs to 20; CM promises aid, to visit on Monday

Rebuilding begins

The landslides, described by officials as the worst since 2015 landslide which killed nearly 40 people in Darjeeling, have left behind a trail of devastation.

Entire slopes have caved in, highways buried under thick mud, and communication lines snapped. The Mirik-Sukhiapokhri road, a key road connecting several hamlets, remains blocked.

Survivors have already begun the painful process of clearing the debris. Mud-streaked faces, soot-blackened utensils, torn school bags and broken teacups lie scattered — silent testimonies of a night when the mountain turned against its own.

“We have seen floods and storms, but never this,” said Pema Bhutia, a 58-year-old tea worker from Mirik, standing before what used to be her home. “Everything happened in minutes. The hill just came down, like a wave of earth.”

Also read: Monsoon havoc in Nepal: 51 killed in landslides; flights suspended

‘Ground unstable but can’t stop’

In the narrow lanes of Darjeeling town, army trucks and disaster response teams move through the fog, their headlights cutting through the thick air. Excavators claw at the mud, while volunteers form human chains to pass food packets and water bottles to stranded families.

For many, it was the third sleepless night.

“We have not gone home since Saturday. Some of us lost friends in the slide,” said Rohit Chhetri, a member of the civil defence team working near Teesta Bazar.

“The ground is still unstable, but we can’t stop. People are waiting,” he said.

Also read: Landslides in Himalayan states: SC raises alarm over illegal tree felling

Tourists volunteer to help

At a local school, now converted into a relief camp, nearly 300 displaced people have put up.

A group of young volunteers from a local NGO serve steaming rice and lentils from large aluminium pots.

“The road to Sukhiapokhri is still blocked, and many villages remain cut off. We are using drones to assess damage. We are ensuring food and supplies reach them,” a district official said.

Hundreds of tourists who had thronged the hills for Durga Puja and post-festive vacations found themselves marooned amid the chaos. Families from Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly, visiting Mirik, Ghoom, and Lepchajagat, were forced to stay indoors as the hills were battered by torrential rain since Saturday night.

Some have volunteered to help rescuers. “We couldn’t just sit and watch. The locals have been so kind to us. This is the least we can do,” said Anjali Das, a tourist from Howrah helping pack relief kits.

Also read: What caused Kolkata floods? A near-cloudburst, outdated drainage, ecological apathy

Rain continues

At the Chowrasta Mall, shops remain closed. Students from a local college swept the streets and collected donations. Monks from a nearby monastery distributed biscuits and milk to children.

“This town has suffered, but it always comes back. In 1968, hundreds died. In 2015, we buried friends. Every time the hill falls, we rise again,” said Karma Sherpa, a 63-year-old taxi driver who has ferried relief workers since Sunday morning.

As the night descended, the drizzle returned, tapping softly on tin roofs patched with plastic sheets.

“We found a child alive this morning under the debris. That gives us the strength to keep digging,” said a rescue worker.

Also read: How climate chaos is rewriting India’s water future

Roads cut off

North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha described the situation as “alarming” and maintained that the total death toll was “likely to go up”.

Anit Thapa, chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), which governs the Darjeeling region, stated that landslides have been reported at 35 locations across the picturesque area, known as the Queen of the Hills.

According to the NDRF, road connectivity remains severely disrupted across Darjeeling and North Sikkim, with an iron bridge connecting Siliguri to the Mirik-Darjeeling route damaged, cutting off access to the region.

Temporary relief camps have been set up in coordination with NGOs and the district administration, while many families in Mirik have been moved to safer locations.

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

Also read: Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand; 3 killed in torrential rains in Himachal

CM to visit today

As the situation worsened, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a high-level meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna, opened a 24/7 control room, and said she would visit North Bengal on Monday (October 6) to assess the situation.

She also announced compensation for the victims.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for extremely heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong, till October 6.

It has 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 (Be Prepared) was sounded for Darjeeling district.

The state government has kept emergency control rooms in Siliguri, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri on high alert, with additional teams of civil defence and state disaster force kept on standby.

(With agency inputs)