NATIONAL: Darjeeling Landslides: Rain Havoc Spreads to Bhutan
Torrential downpours have unleashed chaos across the eastern Himalayas, turning scenic hills into scenes of tragedy.
From Darjeeling’s mist-shrouded slopes to Nepal’s river valleys and Bhutan’s floodplains, landslides and swelling waters have claimed at least 75 lives as of Sunday evening.
Rescue teams race against relentless rain, while stranded travelers huddle in uncertainty, highlighting the fragile line between paradise and peril in these borderlands.
Darjeeling’s Deadly Downpour
In West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, the crisis unfolded with brutal speed since Saturday night, when over 300 millimeters of rain battered the hills in just 12 hours.
Landslides buried homes and swept away lives, leaving 23 dead, including seven children, and seven others injured but pulled from the rubble.
Officials brace for a rising toll, with two people still unaccounted for amid blocked roads and collapsed bridges.
The Balason River’s iron span linking Siliguri to Mirik gave way, stranding hundreds and cutting off vital routes.
In nearby Kalimpong, the Teesta and Mal rivers surged past danger levels, flooding lowlands and isolating villages.
Tourist havens like Mirik and Sukhiapokhri saw chaos peak during the fall season, with scores of visitors trapped.
Darjeeling’s iconic toy train service halted operations, and authorities ordered a temporary shutdown of key spots until the skies clear.
Nepal’s Flood Fury
Eastern Nepal mirrors the misery, where 52 fatalities stem from landslides and flash floods since Friday.
Ilam district in Kosi province bore the brunt, with 37 lives lost to mudslides alone, as the Kosi River crested its banks.
In the Kathmandu Valley, rivers like the Bagmati and Bishnumati overflowed from upstream deluges, submerging roads and homes.
Heavy rains in the hills amplified the disaster, leaving dozens injured and prompting widespread evacuations.
The human cost mounts as search teams navigate treacherous terrain, underscoring vulnerabilities in this monsoon-prone corridor.
Bhutan’s Borderline Battle
Across the frontier in Bhutan, thousands face entrapment in river basin floods, particularly near the swelling Amochu and Torsa waters.
A technical snag at the Tala Hydropower Dam exacerbated overflows, prompting urgent alerts to neighboring India.
No confirmed deaths have surfaced yet, but the scale of displacement rivals the worst recent episodes.
Remote communities in Phuentsholing cling to hope as waters recede slowly, revealing the interconnected risks these shared watersheds pose.
Heroes in the Mud: Rescue Rallies
The Indian response cuts through the gloom with coordinated grit. National Disaster Response Force teams from Siliguri, Kolkata, and beyond fan out across Darjeeling and Kalimpong, digging through debris and airlifting the vulnerable.
The army joins the fray, deploying helicopters for high-stakes extractions in Bhutan’s flooded zones.
In Nepal, similar urgency grips responders, though cross-border aid from India stands ready.
North Sikkim reports parallel woes, with roads severed and rivers raging, though casualty figures remain fluid.
Solidarity in Sorrow
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed swift aid, announcing compensation packages for bereaved families and planning a firsthand assessment Monday.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced profound condolences, with Modi pledging full support to monitor and mitigate.
Extending olive branches abroad, Modi assured Nepal of India’s steadfast backing via a post on X, while army units already aid Bhutanese evacuations.
These gestures weave a thread of regional unity amid the wreckage, as forecasters warn of more heavy showers testing resolve.