Four Killed in Mirik Road Tragedy as Vehicle Plunges into Gorge; Region Struggles with Disrupted Connectivity and Multiple Mishaps

KalimNews, Mirik, October 23, 2025 : In a tragic incident on Wednesday, four persons lost their lives when a Force Trax Cruiser Taxi  travelling from Kakarvitta in Nepal to Mirik skidded off the Noll Dara Road and plunged into a deep gorge. The accident occurred around 12:40 p.m. near Nol Dara village under the Mirik subdivision. The vehicle, reportedly a daily service taxi bearing registration number WB 76A 1382 carrying 19 passengers, was en route to Mirik when the mishap took place.

According to eyewitness accounts, another tourist taxi was descending a steep stretch of the road and stopped to give way to the Cruiser. In the process, the driver of the Cruiser, identified as Rakesh Ruchal, reportedly applied the brakes on the incline, but the vehicle slipped backward, lost control, and rolled several feet down the hillside. The sudden plunge left three passengers dead on the spot, while a fourth succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital.Locals rushed to the spot and with the help of police rescued the injured and the dead.

The deceased have been identified as Dhan Bahadur Dhungel (73), a resident of Amdangi, Nepal; Sajani Chettri (36) from Jabara More Nirpani Busty; Binita Tamang (39), a woman from Sorsalay, Mirik—married in Ward No. 4 of Koshi haraincha Municipality, Morang, Nepal; and her brother Wangchen Tamang (28), also from Sorsalay. Binita and Wangchen were travelling together to their parental home in Mirik for Bhai Tika, a traditional festival. Binita’s three-year-old daughter, Yudenla Tamang, who was accompanying them, sustained injuries to her hand in the accident and is currently under medical care.

Several others sustained injuries in the crash. Among them are Ranmaya Giri (60), Dhan Bahadur Rai, and the driver Rakesh Ruchal,, who were admitted to Panighatta Primary Health Centre for primary treatment. Homanath Puri of Kakarvitt and other six injured has been shifted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri by GTA Help Desk and Sabhasad Arun Sigchi for advanced care.

Meanwhile, transportation and connectivity between Siliguri, Mirik, and Darjeeling remain severely hampered following the collapse of the Dudhia iron bridge earlier this month. Authorities are racing against time to construct a temporary alternative link over the Balason River. Officials have stated that a new makeshift bridge, being built using reinforced concrete pipes across the riverbed, is expected to be operational by next week. The Dudhia bridge had collapsed on October 4, after incessant rainfall triggered flash floods, effectively cutting off the main Siliguri–Mirik route.

With the principal route closed, motorists and public vehicles have been forced to take the narrow and steep Noll Dara–Mirik–Putung–Dudhia stretch, which has seen a sharp rise in traffic volume and road accidents in recent weeks. Just days earlier, another fatal crash occurred on Pankhabari Road, where a car carrying five occupants veered off the hillside, killing four people. The route is one of the few alternative connections currently being used to reach Darjeeling, after a massive landslide blocked the Rohini Road.

Restoration work on the Rohini Road is underway, though officials warn it may take several more days before it is fully reopened to vehicular traffic. With both Mirik and Darjeeling relying on fragile and makeshift hill routes, authorities have urged commuters to exercise extreme caution while travelling through the region, especially during the ongoing season of frequent rainfall and unstable slopes.

The spate of recent road mishaps across the hills has raised fresh concerns over the safety of temporary diversion routes and the urgent need for strengthened infrastructure in the Darjeeling hills, where treacherous terrain and monsoon damage continue to pose serious risks to daily travellers.