Incessant rain over the past 24 hours in the Darjeeling hills triggered multiple landslides which damaged houses and roads on Friday.

A stretch of NH10, the principal highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with the rest of the country, was damaged near Birikdara, while a rural road in the Mirik subdivision caved in.

Birikdara is around 30km from here.

“A 90m-long stretch of NH10 was destroyed in a landslide. We have restored one-way traffic along the stretch. If heavy rain continues, there is an apprehension that the entire stretch will collapse and direct road connectivity between Siliguri, and Sikkim and Kalimpong will snap,” said an official of the state public works department (NH-X) division.

Vehicles were moving at a snail’s pace along the stretch throughout the day because of the one-way traffic.

Sources in the Darjeeling district disaster management office said Siliguri and Kurseong had recorded a rainfall of 81mm and 78 mm, respectively, in the past 24 hours. It rained 56mm in Mirik during the same period.

A number of localities in the Mirik subdivision — Chhota Tingling, Soureni Busty, Palangbari, Naya Kaman, Bahadurgaon, Nandalal Gaon and Duptin Bhamsey — were affected by the heavy showers and the landslides.

“In these areas, 18 houses were partially damaged. Traffic between Khoprail and Chhota Tingling in the Soureni area has been completely disrupted after the road caved in. Work to restore the road has started,” said a source.

In Darjeeling town, minor landslides were reported in wards 2, 3, 4, and 29. In the Kurseong block, three houses were damaged at Nayakaman Chaitaypani and Makaibari.

Weather experts said the southwest monsoon was active in the sub-Himalayan region.

“Weather conditions will remain the same during the next 48 hours. There is a forecast of heavy rainfall at some places, especially in the hills, and in the Terai and the Dooars in the foothills,” said an official of the regional Met office.