Mugdha Das

Darjeeling landslide: Death toll mounts to 28

Digital Desk: The death toll in the devastating landslides and floods in Darjeeling district of West Bengal has risen to 28.

Disaster management personnel continued the rescue operation on Monday with several people still missing and thousands of tourists stranded in cut-off hill pockets.

The landslides, triggered by over 300 mm of rain in just 12 hours, have ravaged the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars region at the foothills.

Among the worst-affected areas are Mirik, Sukhia-pokhri and Jore-bunglow in Darjeeling, and Nagra-kata in Jalpaiguri district.

The rescue operations, led by the NDRF, were continuing across multiple sites, with heavy earth-moving machinery being used to locate people feared trapped under mounds of debris.

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers affected by landslides and floods in Darjeeling are taking shelter in the relief camps set up by the authorities.