Agencies/Kolkata

Rescuers were digging through piles of debris to search for survivors after landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 30 people across the famed tea-growing region of Darjeeling, police said yesterday.
Some half-a-dozen people were feared trapped under mounds of mud at the remote Tingling tea estate in Mirik area where rescue teams were struggling to reach those buried.
With bulldozers and other heavy land-moving equipment unable to reach the remote areas, rescuers were using bare hands and some basic tools to remove the debris, witnesses said.
Overnight landslides also struck homes built on slopes in Kalimpong and Darjeeling in West Bengal, leaving a trail of destruction in the scenic region.
“Rescuers have so far found 30 bodies - 17 in Mirik, 11 in Kalimpong and two near Darjeeling town,” Darjeeling district police superintendent Amit P Javalgi said by telephone.
Some 2,000 people have been evacuated from the sites of landslides with more army reinforcements expected.
The tourist season in Darjeeling district, which is known for its lush green tea plantations, ended with the onset of the annual monsoon rains and those stranded are mainly villagers in remote hilly areas.
Javalgi described mud and water barrelling down hills in the worst-hit tourist town of Mirik along with Kalimpong hill station further north.
“We have reports of over 100 houses getting washed away in these two towns and many people were evacuated from the sites,” he said.
“The rush of mud and water tore down everything in its path in Mirik and Kalimpong.”
He said border guards were being deployed to help with the rescue effort which was being hampered by ongoing rains in the district.
West Bengal Inspector-General of Police Anuj Sharma said from Kolkata that he feared “many people” were caught in the landslides which, along with the heavy rains, have also cut roads and telephone links.
Photos showed small bridges washed away or destroyed, leaving residents stranded.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju was being rushed to Darjeeling to review the situation.
“Deeply pained at the loss of lives due to the landslides in Darjeeling district. Condolences to the families of the deceased,” Modi tweeted.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs400,000 to the relatives of the dead and Rs125,000 each to the injured.
The landslides have badly affected National Highways 31 and 10, snapping links with Sikkim. The heavy rainfall also washed away the Rohini-Garidhura bridge.
Banerjee pledged assistance to the affected people.
“Money can never compensate the loss of life. However, the state government has decided to pay Rs4 lakh to the kin of those who have died and Rs1.25 lakh to the injured. The government will provide all kinds of assistance for the rehabilitation of those affected by the calamity,” Banerjee said.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation. The home secretary has already reached there. I am rushing to the area,” the chief minister said.
Floods and landslides hit South Asia every year during the monsoon season.
In the western state of Gujarat, floods caused by the annual rains last week left at least 55 people dead.