A fresh landslide on Friday disrupted traffic on NH10, the principal highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with the rest of the country.

Boulders, debris and trees fell from the mountainside onto the road at Birikdara, 35km from Siliguri, around 11am.

The Kalimpong district administration has stopped the movement of vehicles through the stretch, while excavators have been engaged to clear the road.

“The road is completely closed and efforts are on to clear the debris from the road,” said Srihari Pandey, the superintendent of police of Kalimpong.

Some vehicles bound for the hills and those heading for Siliguri stopped to avoid the rubble. A video circulating on social media showed the vehicles retreating from the site during the landslide to avoid any damage.

“Debris is still coming down, and no vehicle can move through that stretch of the road. Traffic has been restricted through the affected spot of NH until the road is cleared and it is confirmed that the debris has stopped descending. The restriction is necessary for the safety of drivers and passengers,” said a source.

The sudden closure of the highway has prompted drivers to take alternative routes to reach Sikkim and Kalimpong from Siliguri and vice versa.

“It will take additional time. Also, using alternative routes means extra fuel costs,” said a transporter in Siliguri.

Weather experts have said that there is a forecast of rainfall in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills during the next 48 hours.

“The highway is landslide-prone during monsoon. If heavy downpour occurs in the hills, it will be difficult to carry out the work to restore road connectivity,” said an official of the Kalimpong district administration.