Kolkata, Jan 14: An unspecified number of people are feared trapped after a large piece of rock, estimated to measure about 150 metres, broke off a hillock and crashed down on a stretch of the national highway connecting Sikkim with Bengal.
One body was recovered and three injured persons were rescued had been rescued till 8.30 am, officials said.
“Three persons have been rescued including two boys. A body of a truck driver has been recovered. It is suspected that two more may be trapped in the debris. Rescue teams are working,” said the Amit P Javalgig, the district police superintendent.
The incident happened between 5 am and 5:30 am on Thursday. It was not possible to ascertain immediately how many vehicles or people might be buried under the landslide which took place at Bhotebhir on NH10, about 1 km from Rangpo which marks the Bengal-Sikkim border. It is 75 km from Siliguri in West Bengal.
NH10 is the only major road that connects Sikkim with the rest of the country and all movement of tourists, military and government and private vehicles comes to a halt if this road remains blocked. The state has no airport or rail connectivity, thereby cutting it off.
