11 dead as rains trigger landslides near India's Darjeeling

CALCUTTA (AFP) Jul 08, 2003
Eleven people were killed Tuesday when their houses were crushed by landslides triggered by days of heavy rain outside the eastern Indian hill station Darjeeling, police said.

The landslides follow weeks of rain and floods that have killed at least 85 people and left 1.4 million homeless in eastern India and Bangladesh.

"Eleven people were killed and five houses destroyed in the landslides, which were caused by heavy rainfall in the hills over the past few days," said Chayan Mukherjee, inspector general of police for West Bengal state.

"The bodies of the victims were found under the rubble," he told AFP.

Mukherjee said the landslides in the hamlets of Gayabari and Dakhle cut off road links between the metropolis of Calcutta and Darjeeling, 700 kilometers (435 miles) to the north.

"Efforts are being made to clear the roads," he said.

The British set up Darjeeling as a resort for troops and officers in the 19th century when they ruled India from Calcutta. The hillside town remains a popular destination for those who want to escape lowland India's gruelling summer heat.

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