Overview

• Multiple slides struck Darjeeling’s hill areas including Mirik and Sukhia Pokhri, with officials confirming at least seven deaths as search and recovery continue.
• Reports from different agencies and officials vary on casualties, with tallies ranging from single digits to the mid-teens while verification is ongoing.
• The iron bridge over the Balason River at Dudhia collapsed, severing the Siliguri–Mirik link and complicating movement of rescue teams and supplies.
• Key corridors including NH-10, NH-110 and NH-717E/717A were blocked or damaged, disrupting routes to Kalimpong and Sikkim and isolating several communities.
• Darjeeling police, state disaster teams and the NDRF are conducting rescue and relief operations, as the IMD maintains red/orange alerts and local authorities close tourist spots such as Tiger Hill and Rock Garden.