How 150 labourers near Bengal-Sikkim border narrowly escaped death

Some 150 labourers building tunnels for the Indian Railways near the Sikkim-West Bengal border cheated death after being rescued minutes before the swollen Teesta river washed away their entire camp.

The workers escaped with just the clothes they were in and some personal documents after being told to hurriedly vacate the camp near Zero Mile area in West Bengal’s Kalimpong district.

Officers of a private construction company employing the labourers rushed to their colony with vehicles just in time after learning about the impending calamity originating from flood-ravaged Sikkim.

As telephones rang early on October 3 asking them to pack their bags and leave in a hurry with bare essentials, it took the labourers some time to realize the gravity of the situation.

Finally, with the help of a security guard sent to fetch them, they took another route, an unfamiliar one, to save time and reached the nearest motorable road around 20 minutes later.

Terrible destruction

When they looked back from the safety of the road, the raging river was engulfing the camp, washing away everything. The devastation of nature and the relief of being alive brought tears to their eyes.

In no time, all they could see was the roofs of some of their cottages. Everything else went under muddy water.

Zero Mile is located around two kilometres from Rambi Bazar.

"We cried our hearts out as we saw our huts going under water. It was hard to believe that I was fast asleep at the same spot just 15-20 minutes ago. I am thankful to the almighty for saving us all," Shibyendu Das, a 32-year-old labourer, told PTI over telephone.

Das was among the 150-odd labourers from various states working to build five tunnels for the Indian Railways' Sevoke-Rangpo project which will connect Sikkim with the rest of India.

The workers said they lost virtually everything — ration, tools, gas cylinders and personal belongings. “We only managed to bring with us some money, important papers and some clothes,” the labourer said.

The security guard was not the only one who came to save them in the early hours of October 3.

Alert officers

"We found out that some officers were waiting for us with two trucks on that road," said Das.

Four officers and the security guard had rushed to the labourers' colony with two trucks.

"The trucks had to make seven trips to transport all the 150 labourers to a godown near our camp at Rambi Bazar. They were mentally devastated and physically exhausted," said an officer.

An engineer present during the rescue operation said all the 150 labourers were later taken to a safe place near Reyang village, where one of the tunnels of the project is being constructed.

"A few labourers sought to go back to their camp thinking they might salvage some of their articles. We told them not to make such a venture as they might put their lives at risk," said the engineer.

He said the company employees got immense help from the local people and authorities during the crisis.

After two days of struggling to cope with the traumatic experience still fresh in their memory, Das and the other workers finally returned to work on Friday.

The flash flood in the Teesta river, triggered by a cloudburst in Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, destroyed the Chungthang dam and washed away entire habitations.

(With agency inputs)