Malbazar wore a silent look on Friday as the residents mourned the death of eight people in the flash flood on the Mal river during Dashami celebrations on Wednesday night.

“Such a horrific incident had never occurred in Malbazar. People here are yet to recover from the shock. The incident has become the talk of the town as many have lost their near and dear ones. It will take time to get the wound healed,” said Ramesh Sarkar, a senior resident of the town.

The Mal, which is otherwise one of the nondescript streams which descend from Bhutan hills and flow through the Dooars, has become the talking point of local people.

Every day, hundreds of people get into the river to take bath or wash their vehicles. Since Thursday, hardly any person was seen walking into the river, other than the teams of civil defence and NDRF who conducted their search throughout Thursday.

“People are so panicked that they are walking over a kilometre to reach other sources of water, instead of getting into the river. Those residing on the river bank are keeping a close watch on their children and asking them repeatedly to stay away from the river. This is an unusual scene at the locality as otherwise, children jump into the river during day time and enjoy a bath,” said Nimai Das, a local resident.

Because of the tragedy, the Durga Puja carnival was not held in Jalpaiguri on Friday unlike other districts of the state.