The overflowing Torsha river at Ghughumari in Cooch Behar district. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

May 27: Gushing waters from the rivers in Bhutan have been flooding vast areas of Cooch Behar since last night even as the district was coping with Cyclone Aila’s fury.

Additional district magistrate Pannalal Mahapatra said water from Bhutan had swelled the rivers in north Bengal. Vast areas in Toofanganj and Cooch Behar subdivisions have been submerged by the overflowing Torsha, Sankosh, Kaljani and Raidak rivers.

“We have started relief and rescue operations on war footing,” Mahapatra said.

Block development officer of Toofanganj T.T. Bhutia said over 15,000 houses had been marooned by the floodwaters. Sources said more than 10, 000 people had been displaced.

According to Bhutia, a 100-metre irrigation spur on the Sankosh river had collapsed in Toofanganj last night, destroying crop on 3,000 hectares of land. Another spur on the Kaljani river collapsed at Maruganj in Toofanganj Block II.

In Cooch Behar block, two spurs on the confluence of the Torsha and the Kaljani also caved in.

More than 500 families were evacuated from Nijtara and Bagherchar in Mekhliganj block after waters from Torsha had gushed in this morning.

In Malda, the death toll from the Aila fury rose to two with Murshed Sheikh, a three-year-old boy, who had suffered severe injuries in a wall collapse, dying in the Malda district hospital.

Power supply could not be restored in vast areas at Hobbibpur, Bamongola, Gajole, Chanchol and Harishchandrapur even today. However, the power officials claimed that “normality” would return tonight.

According to a senior official, trees uprooted by the storm had fallen on high-tension wires at numerous places, causing severe power cuts in many areas.

District magistrate Sreedhar said over 15,00 huts had been destroyed and more than 35,000 houses had been damaged. The total number of people affected by the calamity comes around to 2.70 lakh.

Ghosh said crops worth nearly Rs 32 crore were destroyed. “Mango production alone suffered a loss of Rs 4 crore. A detailed report on the extent of damage was sent to the relief and rehabilitation department today,” he added.