Residents of the Bhutni islet in Malda were confronting a fresh crisis as an embankment of the nearby Paschim Ratanpur in Ratua 1 block collapsed on Monday and water from the swollen Ganga started gushing into the locality.

Malda district magistrate Nitin Singhania rushed to Manikchak and took stock of the situation, along with officials of the Ratua 1 and Manikchak blocks.

Officials of the state irrigation department have also briefed Singhania on the situation, prompting him to issue several instructions to the block administrations and others concerned to combat the situation and facilitate the shifting of around 60,000 people to safer places.

Sources said that a ring-shaped embankment collapsed as the Ganga had been eroding chunks of land at Paschim Ratanpur. A section of residents has left because of the erosion.

The village is near the Uttar Chandipur panchayat of Bhutni islet in Manikchak block.

“Because of the erosion, the embankment collapsed and water from the Ganga flooded Paschim Ratanpur and even the Uttar Chandipur panchayat, inundating the villages one after another,” said a source.

Soon after the embankment collapsed, the Ganga flooded localities like Basanttola, Gorbardhantola and Durlavtola.

A section of the erosion victims, who had taken shelter on the embankment, left out of fear. Altogether, around 60,000 people live in Uttar Chandipur, while the total population of Bhutni islet is around 1.60 lakh.

Singhania, the DM, asked the block officials to work on war-footing to combat the situation.