DARJEELING, : A 55-year-old
tourist from Kolkata, Amiya Nath Ghosh, died late last night, marking the
second tourist death in Darjeeling this month.
Ghosh,
a resident of South 24 Parganas, had arrived in Kalimpong with his family and
friends on January 29 before traveling to Darjeeling the following day. After
spending the day exploring the town, including a walk around Mall Road, the
group returned to their hotel.
According
to GTA health in-charge Rajesh Chauhan, around 10:30 pm, Ghosh’s friends heard
loud noises from his hotel room and rushed to check on him. They found him
unconscious with his wife and daughter by his side. He was immediately taken to
Darjeeling district hospital, where he was declared dead.
Rupam
Sarkar, a relative and member of the travel group, said, “We had dinner after
returning from our tour and went to sleep in our respective rooms. Later, we
were awakened by noises from Ghosh’s room and found him unconscious. With the
help of the hotel owner, we rushed him to the hospital, but he was pronounced
dead.”
Ghosh
had a history of heart disease and had undergone surgery. Doctors confirmed
that he suffered a heart attack. The group, comprising
nine members from three families, was visiting Darjeeling for the first time.
Following
a post-mortem examination, the GTA arranged an ambulance to transport Ghosh’s
body to Siliguri, from where another vehicle took him home to South 24
Parganas.
Tourist
fatalities in Darjeeling, often linked to pre-existing medical conditions, are
becoming increasingly frequent. Earlier this month, on January 6, 58-year-old
DipanjanSaha from Hooghly district died after falling ill at Lamahatta.
Between
May and December last year, three tourists lost their lives in the Sandakphu
region, around 61 km from Darjeeling. The victims included TanmoyKundu from
North Dinajpur (May 26), Asish Bhattacharya (November 19) and Ankita Ghosh from
Kolkata (December 3). Most of these cases were attributed to respiratory
issues.
