Written by Tanusree BoseKolkata | October 7, 2025 05:06 AM IST 3 min readA routine holiday turned into a nightmare for two groups from Kolkata who were visiting the Darjeeling-Kalimpong hills when a sudden bout of heavy rain struck on the night of October 5. With power out and mobile networks down, they found themselves in the eye of a storm, praying for it to pass.Jayanta and Reshmi Bandyopadhyay, their son Rohit, and family friends had boarded the Tista-Torsha Express from Bandel on October 1. They reached Malbazar on October 2 and travelled onward to Kage, a remote village near Dawaipani in Kalimpong, on October 5, the same night the storm hit.Speaking to The Indian Express, Reshmi said the hills felt like a second home; the family had visited for 18 years but had never seen such torrential rain. “When we arrived there was a small river called Rishi. From around 7:30 pm on Saturday the rain began. We thought it would stop, but it only got worse. The water of the river rose , lightning and thunder kept coming. We were praying the rain would stop. At one point we felt the resort might collapse,” she said.Story continues below this adRohit described a long, fearful night. “We all huddled together in one room, petrified by the continuous lightning and thunderstorm. We just prayed to see the morning light. The wind made eerie sounds. It was spine-chilling,” he recounted.The family remained trapped for nearly a day before finding an alternate route down to Malbazar, said Swarup Banerjee, Rohit’s uncle in Hooghly. He added that locals in the area had been helpful during the ordeal.Another group, a family of six from Kudghat in Kolkata, were stranded in Tisang, Kalimpong, after they arrived on October 3 for a holiday planned until October 9.Sazeri Das, who was travelling with her husband, daughter and friends, said the rain began in the evening and felt like a cloudburst. “From 7 pm there was torrential rain. There was no electricity or network. We were not getting any news about what was happening outside because we were stuck inside the hotel. There was a hanging balcony outside our room. At one point I felt the entire place would collapse,” she said.Story continues below this adThe lack of communication caused panic among relatives at home who were unable to reach them. Once network returned , Das said she called her parents to tell them they were safe.“It took us four to five hours to reach Dooars, when normally it takes two hours. The roads were very bad. On our route there were mudslides at four or five places. We were clinging to our lives while returning,” she said.Locals told visitors they had not seen such rainfall in the past 50 years. Several people who were stranded followed local advice to stay indoors until the worst passed. In both cases, the travellers praised local residents and resort staff for their help.Despite the trauma, Reshmi said the family plans to return to the hills in November. “We will still be visiting the hills again in November, nothing can stop us. The locals have been very helpful,” she said.Story continues below this adThe groups have since reached safer areas, but the heavy rain and damaged roads, left parts of the region cut off and travel difficult.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Darjeeling Landslide