Siliguri, June 19 -- A temporary bridge over the Balason River at Dudhia was washed away early Friday morning following a massive surge in water levels triggered by heavy overnight rainfall across the Darjeeling hills, snapping the crucial road link between Siliguri and Mirik.
An alert has been sounded across five North Bengal districts - Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.
According to official sources, the upper catchment areas of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik received intense rainfall throughout the night, causing the Balason River to swell rapidly. The strong current swept away the temporary structure, disrupting vehicular movement on the route and leaving commuters stranded.
The incident has revived conce...