Alipurduar, June 21 -- Heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across Alipurduar district, claiming two lives in a tragic road accident and disrupting connectivity in several areas.
An 18-wheeler truck travelling from Uttar Pradesh to Assam plunged into the Bhandani River after crashing through the railing of Bhandani Bridge near Mendabari in Kalchini along National Highway 31C around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Poor visibility caused by heavy rain is suspected to have led to the accident.
The driver and helper became trapped inside the cabin. Police and Disaster Management personnel launched a rescue operation, but rising water levels in the Bhandani River, swollen by continuous rainfall in neighbouring Bhutan, severely hampered the effort. The operation was temporarily suspended before resuming on Sunday morning.
Rescuers later recovered the bodies of driver Asif Hussain (46) and helper Akhilesh Yadav (20), both residents of Bilaspur in Uttar Pradesh. Officials of the Nimti Police Outpost have informed their families.
In a separate incident, a temporary wooden bridge over the Holong River in Jaldapara National Park was washed away by flash floods on Saturday night, cutting off access to the office of the Assistant Wildlife Warden. The premises also house the Elephant Squad, Quick Response Squad (QRS) and Jaldapara North Range office.
Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said: "We have received reports that the temporary wooden bridge over the Holong River has been washed away. Necessary instructions have been issued to ensure that the bridge is repaired at the earliest."
Meanwhile, floodwaters submerged the Char Torsa and Dolong River diversions on National Highway 27D between Falakata and Alipurduar, forcing commuters to take a longer route via Pundibari in Cooch Behar.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red' heavy rainfall warning for Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri for the next 24 hours.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.