Darjeeling landslides: Toll reaches 35, rescue operations continue

With the recovery of one more body on Monday, the landslide toll in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills climbed to 35, with at least eight more people missing, an official said.

"We have recovered a body of a woman today (Monday) from the Kurseong sub-division," said Darjeeling District Magistrate Anurag Srivastava.

He said rescue and relief operations, including the search for those missing, were continuing and favourable weather on Monday aided the rescue process.

Vehicular movement on NH10 connecting Gangtok and Siliguri is also steadily returning to normal.

However, the district administration has expressed concern over another possible landslide in Sheti Jora, some 7.5 km away from Siliguri on NH10.

"We are running 33 relief camps across the district," Srivastava added

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the state disaster management department and the army were jointly carrying out relief work while the General Reserve Engineering Force was working on a war-footing to restore snapped road-links.