Of the nearly 50 homes in the village, 17 were leveled by the landslide, officials said.
Bombay:
The rescue and search operation in the hamlet of Irshalwadi in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, where a massive landslide buried several houses and killed at least 16 people so far, has resumed on Friday morning, an official said.
The landslide occurred around 11pm on Wednesday at the tribal village, located on a hillside, below Khalapur tehsil of the coastal area, about 80 km from Mumbai. Of the village’s total of 228 residents, the bodies of 16 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been located, he said.
However, a total of 119 villagers have yet to be tracked down. They also include those who left the village to attend a wedding or work on the rice plantation, he said.
Of the nearly 50 homes in the village, 17 were leveled by the landslide, officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with teams from Raigad police and local authorities began the operation for the second day in the remote village, the official said.
“At least four NDRF teams reached the landslide site this morning and commenced the operation. Teams from the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), local disaster management authorities and Raigad Police are also involved in the operation,” he said.
The search began at 6:30 am, Raigad Superintendent of Police Somanth Gharge said.
“We have deployed a canine team to assist personnel in the search,” said an NDRF official.
On Thursday, the rescue and search teams recovered 16 bodies from the landslide, while 21 people were rescued.
“Among the deceased were four children aged one to four and one 70-year-old person,” he said, adding that seven people are being treated in different hospitals.
Search and rescue personnel at the site faced hurdles due to the area’s difficult hilly terrain where heavy equipment cannot be moved easily.
“Continuous rain, fog and gusts of wind on the hilltop, those involved in the search and rescue operation are having a hard time,” the official said.
From the hill base, it takes about an hour and a half to reach Irshalwadi, which has no pucca road.
Since the village does not have a pucca road, earthmoving equipment and excavators could not be moved easily and so the operation is being done manually, the official said.
Bad weather forced NDRF personnel to halt their search and rescue operation at the landslide site on Thursday evening.
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