North Bengal monsoon misery Lightning and landslides leave six dead

Two men trudge through waist-deep water in Alipurduar on Wednesday Picture by Anirban Choudhury

TT, 27 June 2019, Siliguri: Heavy monsoon rains have lashed north BeThe lightning deaths occurred in Malda where a group of people was working in a field in Gazole block on Wednesday evening. Four died on the spot. In another incident, thunder strike killed a 14-year-old girl collecting mangoes in Manikchak.

ngal since Tuesday night, leaving five farmers dead in lightning and one in landslides.

A woman died at Jaldhaka in Kalimpong after her house collapsed in a landslide on Wednesday and left her family members injured. Around 15km away in Nagrakta, a woman trying to cross the Diana river was feared swept away.

The downpour caused inundation and flash floods. In Alipurduar, it rained over 400mm in the past 24 hours, flooding 17 of the town’s 20 wards and affecting over two lakh residents.

The Met office has forecast more rain, particularly in sub-Himalayan north Bengal and Sikkim. “A low-pressure area is developing in the Bay of Bengal. There could be heavy rain in the next couple of days,” said a Met official.

In Sikkim, landslides have blocked a number of roads. In Bhutan, a mudslide occurred near Phuentsholing, the border town, swamping scores of houses.

Calcutta rain wait

As north Bengal was lashed by torrential rain on Wednesday, Calcutta kept waiting for showers. The city is tipped to get a spell or two of rain on Thursday, the Met office said.