1st LD Writethru: 1 killed, 3 injured in landslide in eastern India

At least one person was killed and three others were injured in a landslide in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal early Thursday morning, a police official said.

The death toll may go up as several people are feared trapped under a large piece of rock, which broke off a hillock and crashed down on a national highway, he said, on condition of anonymity.

"The landslide took place at around 5.30 a.m. local time on National Highway-10, some 75 km from the state's key town of Siliguru," the official said.

"So far, one body has been pulled out of the debris of the landslide and the three injured have been admitted to a local hospital."

Rescuers are trying to pull out others who are still trapped under the debris, the official said, adding senior administration officials have rushed to the spot to oversee operations.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, which many local residents say could have been caused by widening of roads being carried out in the area by Indian Army road engineers. Endit