Incessant Rains Hit Sikkim, NH-10 Collapses In Likuvir

Vehicles plying between Siliguri and Sikkim have been diverted via Garubathan after National Highway-10 collapsed in Likuvir. The hills have been witnessing rains since last night.

Kalimpong: Sikkim has once again been hit by incessant rains triggering landslides that have caused massive traffic congestion in several places.

National Highway-10, which has suffered maximum damage due to landslides, collapsed in Likuvir, snapping communication between West Bengal and Sikkim.

Also, several roads leading to Darjeeling and Kalimpong have been badly affected. With the rains leaving roads slippery, a car met with an accident in the Karmata area of Dentam block in Sikkim today. The car fell into a ditch from the mountain road leaving five persons injured. The passengers, all teachers, were going to a local school this morning. Efforts are underway to recover the vehicle from the ditch.

Earlier, National Highway-10 was damaged due to heavy rains and landslides. Traffic movement was diverted during the day and the situation improved as the rains subsided. However, incessant rains since Tuesday night have deteriorated the situation in Sikkim.

With the collapse of National Highway-10 in Likuvir, all vehicles going from Siliguri to Sikkim are being diverted via Garubathan. The administration has started removing the debris and repairing roads in places across Likuvir, where landslides occurred.

However, the restoration work too is getting disrupted following the rains. Tourists have been prohibited from travelling to these areas at the moment. They have been asked to stay in hotels and safer locations till the situation normalises.

Notably, in the last two weeks, heavy water surges occurred in Teesta river and vast areas of the hills were flooded. With the collapse of the national highway, thousands of tourists are again trapped. Army and disaster response forces are being called to rescue them.

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