(MENAFN- Live Mint) As Darjeeling and its surrounding areas reel from devastation triggered by torrential rainfall, landslides, and flash floods, family members of Jadavpur University (JU) student Himadri Purkait have been left on edge, with the student being unresponsive on his phone since Saturday night.

According to a report by Indian Express, Purkait, a third-year Sociology student at the Kolkata-based university, left for Darjeeling on 22 September, arriving at the popular tourist spot four days later.

An avid traveller, Purkait often took up odd jobs to fund his trips, and this time, took up the job of a receptionist at Darjeeling-based lodge.

While the few days since him reaching Darjeeling passed normally, Purkait became unavailable on the phone after heavy showers battered the region over the weekend.

Also Read | Rhinos have drowned, roads are now rivers: Rain fury ravages Darjeeling hills

"We used to talk every day, but since Sunday morning his phone has been switched off. He goes away like this - last time, he travelled for six months at a stretch. He leaves whenever he feels like it," Shukla Purkait, Himadri's mother, was quoted as saying by IE.

"I last spoke to him on Saturday at around 10 pm. He told me he had just finished dinner, and that there was a lot of work pressure because many of the lodge staff were on leave due to Dussehra. I told him it was raining very heavily and asked him to go to a safer location. He said he was fine and was going to sleep," she added.

No stranger to travelling to the hills, the 24-year-old has visited the area several times, and has even worked as a guide, owing to his familiarity with the region and its tourist attractions.

However, since landslides and flash floods hit the area, neither has Purkait called, nor has his family received any updates from either the lodge or the authorities.

As Purkait's parents anxiously wait to hear from him, rescue operations are continuing in the disaster-hit region.

Rescue operations continue

Since torrential rainfall inundated the region, at least 28 have perished in north Bengal, while many remain missing.

As of Monday, rescue operations were ongoing, with both the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) operating in the area.

Clearing operations are currently underway at over 40 points where landslides hit, with work also ongoing to clear major roads connecting Darjeeling to other areas.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, is slated to visit the region on Monday, having earlier set-up a 24 x7 control room and announced compensation for victims of the disaster. Forty-five buses have also been arranged to transport stranded tourists to safer areas.

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