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A landslide in Upper Rimbi, West Sikkim, has killed four people and left three missing. Police, Armed Border Force (SSB) personnel, and villagers have conducted rescue operations, evacuating two injured women on a makeshift tree-log bridge over the flooded Hume river to hospital.
“At least four people have died due to a landslide in Yangthang in the Rimbi area of West Sikkim. Several people are still missing. Rescue teams have started a search operation to find them,” said a resident in the area.
According to local sources, the landslide covered a house in mud and stones, and members of a family were trapped inside. It is learnt that it occurred in Yangthang early on Friday. Local Superintendent of Police Geising Tshering Sherpa said that three deceased died on the spot, while the fourth died at hospital. The condition of the other admitted woman is critical.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.
According to the Superintendent of Police, “The rescue operation is being repeatedly hampered due to the remote hilly area and adverse weather conditions.”
National Highway 10 — the main road connecting Siliguri in West Bengal to Sikkim — has been closed several times in the last two to three months due to landslides, causing difficulties for both residents and tourists. In both April and June this year, North Sikkim was devastated by landslides.
Sikkim and its adjoining areas, including North Bengal, have been receiving incessant rainfall over the past few days.
Rain has been falling in North Bengal, including Sikkim, for the past few days. According to the India Meteorological Department, on Friday, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar are likely to face heavy (7 to 11 cm) rain with gusty winds. Thunderstorms are possible in North Bengal until next Wednesday.
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