Mukesh Sharma

Kalimpong, 9 July :

Two persons were killed and a woman injured in a landslide on National Highway-10 at Swetijhora under Riyang police outpost in Kalimpong this afternoon.

The incident occurred as some rocks fell right on the vehicle in which they were traveling.Two of the passengers sustained serious injuries and died on the spot, official sources said.

They were identified as Naresh Kumar Baraily (55), the manager of a cinchona plantation in Mungpoo and his driver Shyam Biswakarma (34). The wife of Naresh Baraily, who was in the back seat, sustained minor injuries.

They were on their way to Siliguri from Mungpoo. Shocked family members brought them quickly to Siliguri, but doctors here pronounced them brought dead.

Darjeeling superintendent of police Mr Amit P Javalgi confirmed the report Army men and locals rescued the victims from the damaged car. The road was cleared immediately after the incident.

This region including NH-10 received heavy rainfall at around 4 pm today and water and huge boulders were tumbling down the hillside.

Notably, the road was closed for four days during the monsoon last year. Todays incident was the second one this year. A lorry driver was killed in January after boulders fell on the vehicle at

Anderikhola.