6 dead after bridge collapses in Darjeeling amid heavy rain

India Today

At least six people lost their lives in a devastating landslide in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, which struck the Mirik area following heavy rains. The Dudia Iron Bridge, a crucial link between Mirik and Kurseong, collapsed in the disaster. Another rain-triggered landslide was also reported from Hussain Khola along National Highway 110 near Kurseong.

Transcript

00:00And we're now getting some breaking news from West Bengal.

00:03Killer Bengal bridge collapse on camera.

00:05Six dead after the bridge collapses at Mirik in Darjeeling.

00:09So that's the breaking news that's coming in.

00:10Iron bridge collapses at Mirik in Darjeeling after heavy rains.

00:15And the bridge connects Mirik to Siliguri.

00:18And six people have been killed in this.

00:21At least six people have died in West Bengal's Darjeeling after a landslide struck Mirik.

00:26And the incident was caught on camera as well.

00:30The Doodya Iron Bridge which connects the district towns and tourist hotspots of Mirik and Kursiang has collapsed.

00:37Six people are being reported reportedly have lost their lives in this incident.

00:44And my colleague Tapas Sen Gupta is now joining us with more details on this.

00:47Tapas, give us more details.

00:49We're learning that six people have lost their lives in the killer Bengal bridge collapse in Darjeeling.

00:53Well, yes, Anjali, it's an unfortunate news coming in from North Bengal.

00:59It's not only in Mirik.

01:00First of all, in Doodya, the iron bridge that connects Mirik with Siliguri and adjoining areas have collapsed.

01:06And due to which six people have already lost their lives.

01:09And there are reports coming in that due to incessant rainfall since yesterday,

01:14which the weather office had already given a warning earlier,

01:17have made the situation from bad to worse.

01:19We are also learning that there are several places which have been almost inundated,

01:23especially in the lower part of the adjoining areas like the Nagarakatta in Banar Hart.

01:30There are several places which remains to be inundated.

01:33The way, the path that leads to Darjeeling through Rohini,

01:37several parts have been cut off due to heavy landslide.

01:40The rivers in those areas like Tista and Jaldhaka are also flowing over the danger level.

01:47And the rain continues and that has raised serious concerns,

01:50not only amongst the residents but also the administration.

01:53The SDRF have been deployed in different areas, in hills and also in Jalpaiguri area.

01:58But as of now, as we speak, the assessment is going on and is being carried out by the administration.

02:06But given the situation, there are different places where several tourists are stranded,

02:10especially in Merrick and adjoining areas close to Darjeeling.

02:13Because several roads leading to Darjeeling, Merrick,

02:17coming down from Merrick to Siliguri have been either flooded or have been washed out.

02:22So the situation is only getting precarious as of now.

02:26Monitoring is going on of the situation by the state government.

02:31And all efforts are being made to mobilize more manpower,

02:34especially the disaster response force,

02:37to bring out those stranded in different parts of Darjeeling and other areas.

02:42As of now, the situation remains to be quite grim.

02:45But as the weather forecast say that even today,

02:48it's going to rain, it's going to be heavy to very, very heavy rainfall.

02:52And if this continues, then the situation could get from bad to worse, Anjali.

02:56All right, Tapas, thank you for getting us those details.

02:59We'll keep coming back to you for more updates on this.

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