As many as 14 people have been killed in multiple landslides triggered by heavy rain in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal Saturday night.

There are fears the number of casualties may rise, as severe weather and difficult terrain, worsened by rain damage, are making rescue operations difficult.

The disaster has cut off communication lines with neighbouring Sikkim with an iron bridge near Teesta Bazaar in Kalimpong collapsing.

In several episodes of heavy rainfall recently in India, landslides have caused major damage. While India has done well to prepare and safeguard itself against certain natural events such as cyclones, landslides landslides continue to remain a threat. An early warning system is still being tried out, and pressures from population, development

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