Darjeeling: A 39-year-old tourist from Chowringhee Lane in Kolkata was found dead at Tonglu, around 11 km from Manebhanjang, on Saturday morning. The deceased, Imran Ali, was found unresponsive by his friend, Rohit Shekhar.
Cops said the incident came to light when Ali's friend tried to wake him in the morning to witness the view following the snowfall on Friday night. However, Shekhar found him unresponsive. Shekhar stated that they had initially planned to travel to Sandakphu, but due to adverse weather conditions, they decided to halt at Tonglu for the night.
"We reached Siliguri on March 25 and had planned a trek. However, due to the weather, we hired a cab for Sandakphu. As conditions worsened, we came down to Tonglu to stay overnight. The next day, the weather remained bad, so we halted again. The following morning, when I tried to wake him up, he was unresponsive. I immediately called for help," said Shekhar.
Rajesh Chauhan, deputy chairman of the GTA Sabha, said that the authorities were informed about the incident through the Singalila Land Rovers Owners' Association (SLROA). "Through the association, the deceased was brought to Sukhiapokhri, where he was declared dead. The body was then taken to the Darjeeling morgue and will be sent to his residence by ambulance. They had left Kolkata on March 24," Chauhan said.
Meanwhile, Sandakphu, the highest point in West Bengal, experienced snowfall on Saturday morning — its fourth of the season. Bikram Chettri, president of the Society for Highlanders Guides and Porters Welfare Association, Manebhanjang, said the weather remains unfavourable and more snowfall is expected.
"Snowfall at Sandakphu began around 7 pm on Friday and continued until about 5 am on Saturday. The weather remains bad today, with continuous rain since morning. We are expecting more snowfall," he said.