Heavy rains were hampering a search
for residents feared buried under piles
of debris as the death toll from landslide
in India 's tea growing region of Darjeeling
reached 38 ,police said Thursday
The rains have triggered fresh landslides
in the Mirik area where rescue teams were
struggling to find those buried in the mud
and debris that barrelled down slopes on
Tuesday night into their home,
Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag
Srivastava said rescue workeres were using
their bare hands and basic tools to clear
debris ,with blocked rk
oads stopping heavy
equipment from reaching the site.
Fresh landslides washed away a road near
Mirik making it impossible to transport
heavy equipment to remove boulders and
debris ,Srivastava ,who is overseeing the
rescue operation in Mirik told AFP
"The rescue team are using their hands to
seacrh for people and clear debris but further
rain is making it difficult The original landslides
also struck homes built on the slopes in
Kalimpong and Darjeeling in West Bengal
state,leaving a trail of destruction in the
scenic region.
"The victims were killed in their sleep,No
one got the opportunity to escape"Srivastava
said, Darjeeling district police superintendent
Amit P Javalgi said the death toll had reached
38 after the discovery of more bodies with at
least 11 people still missing
Some 2,000 people have been evacuated from
the site s of landslides which have also cut
bridges ,and triggered power cuts.,
"Rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment
for the first time to clear roads leading to the
site of the disaster "Javalgi said,
"The weather bureau in Kolkata has forecast
more heavy rain for the coming days ,Foods and
landslides hit South Asia every year during
the monsoon season
AFP
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