Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Tuesday, 07 October 2025
In the wee hours of Sunday October 5 Mohammad Allaudin woke up with what he assumed to be cries of help. Outside he could hear the fury of the rain spattering against the ground and everything else.
The source of the cries turned out to be those of his landlord, his wife and their child lying buried under a wall of mud and stones and uprooted trees. A landslide had claimed the three of at least 23 killed in the deluge that hit North Bengal this weekend.
Mirik and Nagrakata are among the hardest hits.
Allaudin was lucky to have escaped from the clutches of death.
“There was very little that we could do to help them,” he said.
The bodies were dragged out hours later.
Devastation was all around Mirik as the incessant rain pounded through the roofs, causing landslides and flash floods that took everything it found in its ways, homes, vehicles, roads, bridges, fauna and flora.
The bridge over Balason river in Dudhia which snapped into two has been splashed on the front page of most dailies.
For Sakshi Thakur, a resident of Mirik, stepping outside still feels dangerous. “From the night of October 4, we were cut off from the world. There was no power and no internet. After the rains, only the ground floor of the houses with multiple floors remain. The hospital is packed and barely any vehicles are moving. The main bridge to Siliguri is broken. We’re cut off. Fresh vegetables are gone and even our milkman hasn’t been able to reach us,” she said.
In Dudhia, a crucial link between Mirik and Siliguri, Anup Gadal surveyed a scene of total loss. A former party worker of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, he has resigned, accusing the regional leadership of abandoning the people.
“Dudhia depends on tourism. Around 20 to 25 hotels and restaurants were washed away. Farmland and livelihoods are gone. The PWD has done nothing, no diversions, no repairs. These VIPs are all coming just for photoshoots. Absolutely no work is being done,” he said.
Other residents of Dudhia too had similar complaints.
Arun Sigchi, executive member of the GTA, described the scale of the catastrophe. “We recorded nearly 300 mm of rainfall. It was likely a cloudburst. In Mirik block, 11 people have died. One house alone lost four family members,” he said. Landslides ripped through Wards 1, 3 and 9 of Mirik town.
Three relief centres have been set up in Nomen, Soureni Bazaar and Mirik town. Dozens of families are sheltering there, many too afraid to return home. “The destruction is beyond words. We have not seen anything like this since Gahavari in 2003,” Sigchi said.
The only partially open road is via Puttum. The main bridge over the Balason river has collapsed, cutting off the direct route to Siliguri. SSB personnel and the state administration have been working to clear debris and transport the injured. Those with severe wounds have been taken to North Bengal Medical College.
Darjeeling town was spared the worst, but not the consequences. “The rain began late on the 4th and by morning, disaster reports were everywhere. Mirik and Sukhia were the worst hit. One tourist in Rangbang is missing. This is a brutal reminder that nature gives warnings, but we don’t always listen,” said Vikram Rai, a professor and founder of the Vikram Foundation.
Road closures have strangled connectivity. Teacher Sanjive Rai managed to leave the devastation behind via NH10.
“Rohini is closed. NH55 is the only safe road. I’ve never seen Rohini shut for more than 24 hours. Pankhabari is open for upward travel and NH55 for downward, but it’s painfully slow,” he said.
With official efforts stretched thin, the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS) has stepped in. Project officer Salina Gurung said Mirik is their top priority. “We’re running a relief campaign with clothing, medicines and essentials. We’re working with local societies in Mirik, Kurseong, Soureni and other hamlets to reach families who’ve lost homes and livelihoods. Communication is patchy because of power cuts, but we’re relying on local contacts,” she said.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, DWS president, former diplomat and Rajya Sabha MP, has returned to oversee the response. Gurung said the aim is to deliver both immediate relief and financial aid to help families rebuild their lives.
