Irshalwadi Landslide: Death Toll, Damage, All That Happened In Raigad
At least 12 people dead, dozens feared trapped after a massive landslide in Raigad district of Maharashtra late Wednesday night.
Raigad News: Twelve people died in the massive landslide which occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village in Raigad's Khalapur tehsil. The tehsil is about 80 km from Mumbai. The search operations went on full swing and by 6 pm on Thursday evening, around 98 people out of 178 people were rescued.
Irshalwadi Landslide: Search Operations
Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be moved.
As per officials, 75 persons have so far been rescued, many are still feared trapped. Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with local authorities were engaged in rescue work. The NDRF personnel recovered one body from the landslide spot, while four bodies were recovered by rescue teams earlier.
The NDRF had to call it a day due to continuous heavy rains and threat of landslide. They will resume with search operations on Friday at 5 am.
The Chief Minister informed that some youths have come forward on their own to speed up the relief work under the guidance of the team. Yashwanti hikers of Raigad district, volunteers of Nisarga Group Panvel, villagers of Mauje Chowk and Mauje Varose, government employees of various departments, and more than five hundred laborers working in MIDC have personally participated in this relief work.
What did Maharashtra Chief Minister say
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached the site on Thursday and spoke to personnel engaged in rescue operations. He told the reporters that the village was not in the list of landslide-prone villages but now their priority is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble. The CM said that helicopters will be used to send the machinery to the spot for rescue operation.
In a tweet, Shinde said that he has decided to walk to the site himself to speed up the relief work in the landslide accident.
Lives and livestock
The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide. Around 10 containers have also been ordered from Ratnagiri to treat the injured and temporarily resettle the citizens at the base of the fort.
Meanwhile, an emergency control room has been set up at Chowk village near the landslide location with the contact number - 8108195554 - for people to reach out for any assistance.
