The bodies of four persons from Sikkim, including a child, who went missing on an SUV since June 5, were recovered from the Teesta river near Sevoke on Sunday.
The vehicle was located on Saturday, but poor visibility and fading daylight hampered retrieval efforts, officials said.
The bodies were retrieved from the vehicle on Sunday.
Sources in the Darjeeling police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said that the four deceased persons were residents of east Sikkim.
They were Sabia Neupane, 27, Smarika Neupane, 29, Tikamaya Dahal, 31, and Ditya Chhetri, 5, all from Lingdok under the Kabi-Lungchok Assembly constituency of the state.
On Friday evening, they left Sikkim for Siliguri by car. However, later in the evening, their family members and relatives were unable to contact them, raising concerns about their safety.
Worried family members informed the police, who, in turn, launched a search operation on Saturday, along with teams from the NDRF and the Teesta river rescue team. Rescuers managed to trace the vehicle submerged in the river near Sevoke on Saturday evening.
“On Sunday afternoon, we managed to retrieve the bodies from the damaged vehicle. We handed them over to the police,” an NDRF official said.
Sikkim chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) condoled the deaths. “This tragic incident is a painful reminder of the risks associated with travel during the monsoon season. I urge everyone to exercise utmost caution, avoid unnecessary travel, stay informed about weather and road conditions, and strictly follow safety advisories,” he said.