Mal river flash flood sweeps away 8 during immersion

Jalpaiguri: Eight persons were washed away when a flash flood hit the Mal river in Jalpaiguri’s Malbazar during immersion of Durga idols on Wednesday night. Heavy rainfall in the upper catchment of the river led to a sudden rise in water levels, triggering the flash flood.
Around 50 people stranded on a small silt island in the middle of the river, and others struggling in the floodwater, were rescued by the adm-inistration.The force of the water was so strong that it swept away a heavy earth-moving machine and a truck stationed to help puja committees immerse their idols.
PM Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the incident. He tweeted: “Anguished by the mishap during Durga Puja festivities in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones.”
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 each to the inj-ured persons. The CM tweeted: “A tragic flash flood hit the Mal River in Jalpaiguri as Durga Visarjan was underway. 8 people lost their lives, I pray that their families find strength & solace in these difficult times. 13 people are undergoing treatment at Mal SSH, I pray for their speedy recovery. Search and rescue operations by NDRF and SDRF are still underway. Around 70 people were saved by the efforts of the police, Civil Defence Volunteers and local youth. I commend their selfless service. There have been no reports of missing persons so far. An ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.”
The Jalpaiguri district administration on Thursday launched a helpline for assistance. “Teams of the NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration are working together for search and rescue operations. Downstream, the search operations have started,” said Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara Basu.