Part of NH55 closed, after major landslide near Kurseong

Darjeeling/Kolkata: With incessant rains continuing, Darjeeling hills witnessed a spate of landslides.

A huge landslide at Paglajhora, near Kurseong resulted in the closure of National Highway 55.

The landslide located in between Ghayabari and Mahanadi in the Thulo Khola area in the Kurseong sub division occurred at around 8.30 am on Monday.

Throughout the day debris continued to slide down. Traffic has come to a standstill between Ghayabari and Mahanadi. Traffic plying between Kurseong and Tindharia has been diverted through Giddeypahar.

Officials of the National Highway visited the landslide site.

"As of now as the railway lines are intact we will have to temporarily repair the road using the drain next to the lines, so that vehicles can ply," stated AK Singh of the National Highway.

A landslide also occurred at remote Lhodhama.

The landslide has occurred at the site of the newly constructed road from Chhotahatta to Najaray khola, Kankiabong under PMGSY at Batasia busty under Jhepi GP stated the Secretary of the Lodhoma-2 Gram Panchayat. Incidentally there is no human habitation in the vicinity of where the slide occurred. A large part of the new road has been washed away.

The Alipore MeT office predicted rainfall in various South Bengal districts.

There may be spells of heavy showers in some places along with thunderstorms.

The city's sky and most of South Bengal remained cloudy since the morning. Some of the districts in South Bengal received rainfall in the past 24 hours.

Thunderclouds which have entered from Bangladesh have increased the amount of rainfall across the state, the weather office said.