Landslide blocks national highway 55 in Darjeeling Hills

Darjeeling, July 5, 2017: Adding to the ongoing indefinite bandh woes in the Darjeeling Hills of North Bengal, incessant rainfall caused a landslide on National Highway 55 at Kurseong blocking the lifeline connecting Darjeeling to the plains of Siliguri.

The landslide occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. A huge rock along with mud and debris blocked the NH 55 ay Whistle-khola, 2 km away from the Kurseong town. The NH 55 is a 76 km stretch connecting Darjeeling with Siliguri and runs through the Kurseong town.

"We have informed the National Highway authorities about the landslide. Work to clear the debris by the NH authorities will commence at the earliest. We expect the blockade to be cleared in the next few hours and traffic to resume" stated Debasish Chattopadhyay, Sub Divisional Officer, Kurseong.

Traffic jams have occurred on both sides of the slide with vehicles carrying milk, LPG and ambulances stuck owing to the blockade. The NH authorities could not be contacted for comments.

Kurseong has witnessed 128.2mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Since July 1 to July 4th, the cumulative rainfall in Kurseong is 250.2mm. Met offices predict heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours.

OneIndia News