KOLKATA: Heavy rains were hampering a search for residents feared buried under piles of debris as the death toll from landslides in India’s tea-growing region of Darjeeling reached 38, police said on 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 homes.

Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag Srivastava said rescue workers were using their bare hands and basic tools to clear debris, with blocked roads 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, said.

“The rescue team are using their hands to search for people and clear the debris, but further rain is making it difficult”.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

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