Couple killed in Darjeeling landslide

A middle-aged couple was killed in a landslide in Darjeeling district of West Bengal early on Monday, police sources said.

According to reports, the landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, struck the couple's brick house around 2.30 am at Pubung Fatak area of Sukhiapokhri in Darjeeling.

The victims, 60-year-old Kumar Lopchan and his 55- year-old wife Bal Kumari Lopchan, were found buried under the debris, the sources at Darjeeling Sadar police station said.

Though the police and the fire brigade personnel managed to pull the victims out of the debris and rush them to Darjeeling district hospital, the doctors there declared them brought dead, they said.

Traffic between Ghum and Sukhiapokhri areas has come to a halt following the incident.

Work on clearing the debris is on and traffic flow is expected to resume by 6pm, a district disaster management official said, adding that Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) officiating chairman Anit Thapa inspected the site of the landslide Monday morning.