16 killed as landslide flattens 17 houses in Maharashtra's Raigad

Mumbai, July 20

At least 16 persons were killed when a massive landslide struck a remote hilly tribal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district overnight amid rains, while the National Disaster Response Force stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday, NDRF officials said.

As many as 21 persons were rescued from the site, they said. The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai, and flattened 17 of the nearly 50 houses in the hamlet, an official said.

The incident took place after torrential rains in the hilly area. From the hill base, it takes around 1.5 hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.

NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Irshalwadi in the morning to take stock of the situation.

“Irshalwadi was not on the list of landslide-prone villages.Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he told reporters at the site. There was continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble had mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, he said. Shinde said authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters had been kept ready for the operation, but they had not been able to take off due to bad weather, he said.