A young couple and their four-year-old son were killed when a landslide demolished their house in a remote village in Lodhama, 42 km west of Darjeeling early Saturday morning, police said.
The only survivor in the family is the couple’s daughter who had gone to visit her uncle. The incident took place around 4.30 am.
The deceased were identified as Nim Dorje Tamang, 33, his wife Prem Diki Tamang, 29, and son Nihal, 4. They possibly died in their sleep when boulders hit the house, said rescue workers and policemen who rushed to the area. The bodies were recovered from the debris.
The village is located around five km away from Lodhama market.
Deonam Rai, a local resident, said, “Sandhya, the elder daughter of the couple, had gone to visit her uncle. She is the only one left in the family.”
Police suspect that the landslide was possibly triggered by leakage of a water pipeline running beside the ill-fated house.
“The leaked water loosened the soil and possibly triggered the landslide,” said a local police officer on condition of anonymity.