The sub-Himalayan districts of Bengal and Sikkim experienced yet another bout of torrential downpour since Monday night which continued through much of Tuesday, courtesy the southwest monsoon.

At Bagdogra airport, thousands of passengers had to face inconveniences as out of 28 flights, only two flights could operate on Tuesday.

“All the remaining 26 flights have been cancelled because of low visibility caused by heavy winds and rain,” said a source.

The downpour triggered a landslide in Sikkim which killed three persons on Tuesday early morning. In Bengal, two others died after a tree got uprooted and fell on them on NH55 in Sukna on the outskirts of Siliguri on Tuesday evening.

Rainfall also caused waterlogging in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar towns.

“Monsoon is active over the region and a red alert has been issued because there is a forecast of over 200mm of rainfall in the next couple of days in a number of locations of north Bengal and Sikkim. This can lead to flash floods, landslides and waterlogging. Residents are advised to keep themselves safe,” said a source at the India Meteorological Department.

According to the IMD data, it past 24 hours till 8.30am on Tuesday, it rained 230mm in Cooch Behar, 210mm in Jalpaiguri, 190mm in Alipurduar, 130mm in Gangtok and 70mm in Siliguri.

In Siliguri, rainfall increased in the late morning hours of Tuesday which continued till afternoon and waterlogged a number of localities in the city.

Direct traffic from Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri and other parts of the country through NH10 got disrupted as a landslide occurred at Hatishurey between the Coronation Bridge and Kalijhora around 30km from here.

“Boulders and rubbleare piled over a large area of the road, which halted traffic movement. We have been working hard to remove the debris and clear the highway, said an official of the state PWD in the afternoon.

At 5pm, the highway was finally reopened for one-way traffic.

Another landslide occurred at Nayakaman under Kurseong block of Darjeeling district, snapping a link road that connects NH55 and

Rohini.

In the Sukna tragedy, the two persons who lost their lives when a tree fell on them, are believed to be residents of Sonada in Darjeeling hills. The tree was uprooted at Moregaon near Sukna, located around 8km from here.

The duo were moving along NH55 when the incident occurred. The tree also blocked the road. Police and firemen recovered the bodies and cleared the highway.

In Jalpaiguri, the Karala river that flows through the town spilled over and flooded around 60 houses in Biswaspally in ward 22. Some other localities of the town also got waterlogged.

In Cooch Behar, areas like New Town, Gandhi Colony, Kalabagan, Sunity Road and Keshab Road came under knee-deep water. Campuses of a number of schools also got flooded.

“The rains stopped late in the morning. Since afternoon, water has started receding from most places but we are worried as there is a forecast of more rainfall,” said an officer of the district administration.