Landslide buries 3 of family alive

Gurung at the site of the landslide. (Suman Tamang)

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, July 20: Three members of a family were buried alive in their sleep when a landslide hit their house at Lodhama early this morning.

Man Kumar Limbu, 33, his wife Premkit Limbu, 25 and their only son Anish Limbu, 8, were killed at Fincheytaar village near Rimbick-Lodhama, about 70km from Darjeeling, around 4am today.

The bodies were recovered by 5.30am. The three were found dead on the same bed on which they were sleeping.

Constant rain throughout the night triggered the landslide. One house situated closed to Limbu's house was also damaged and the family has been shifted to a nearby relief shelter.

Bimal Gurung, the chief executive of the GTA, visited the site.

"I went to the spot after hearing that that three members of the same family had died. The landslide has once again reminded us of the importance of disaster preparedness/ prevention education and the need for taking mid-term and long -term measures to support the afflicted areas," said Gurung in an Facebook post.This is the first landslide casualty this year even though N.K.Baraily, manager of cinchona plantation in Mungpoo was killed when a falling boulder had hit the vehicle they were travelling at Sethijhora along NH-10, early this month.Srivastava said a number of landslides had occurred along NH-10 today but all have been cleared.and tranquillity Since 1988, July 27 is observed as Sahid Diwas to pay respect to those who had laid their lives during the Gorkhaland agitation.