WEST BENGAL, Oct 6: On the final night of the five-day religious celebration, a sizable crowd had gathered on the river bank for the immersion of idols and the water level surged quickly from six inches to 3.5 feet as a result of the flash flood in the Mal River in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday night, According to officials.
There were 13 injuries and 8 fatalities, one of them was a toddler. Over 50 people were saved. There are no reported missing persons. The search is still ongoing. The Jalpaiguri district’s district magistrate, Moumita Godara Basu, reported that it was still raining.
In response to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences. “Upset by the accident that occurred during the Durga Puja celebrations in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. PM @narendramodi sends his condolences to those who lost loved ones in an early Thursday morning tweet.
The incident happened at Malbazar at about 9:15 p.m. Mal floods when there has been a lot of rain in the Himalayan foothills, like the majority of the rivers in the Dooars region. In the Kalimpong Hills at the time of the tragedy, it was pouring rain. The followers were unaware that the water level in the river’s upper stream had risen.
All of the victims have been named. Several of the cars that the idols were transported on were washed away by the floodwater. Several homes also sustained damage.
Local resident Rajen Murmu said, “The mishap may have been avoided had the administration issued a warning about heavy rainfall in the hills and the potential for a rise in water level.