Darjeeling highway blocked by landslides

Darjeeling highway blocked by landslidesDarjeeling, July 4 : Landslides following heavy rains have snapped road links between the hills of West Bengal and Sikkim.

Twenty houses along National Highway-31 near Sevoke have also collapsed. Several vehicles are stranded in the area.

Landslides also occurred at Rambhi and Kalijhora.

The Border Roads Organization (BRO) and the local administration are removing the debris to enable vehicular movement at the earliest.

"Heavy rain in the night led to heavy landslides at seven places in Sevoke region causing great damage to roads. We have called in the local administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to help support us to remove the debris at the earliest. We have got the earthmovers working but we are not sure of when we can finish," said Krishna Kanta Das, a police officer.

The landslides have also disrupted road link between India and China via the Nathu La Pass, which forms a part of National Highway-31. (ANI)