Maharashtra: 16 killed, over 100 feared trapped after landslide hits Raigad hamlet

At least 16 people were killed and over 100 were reportedly trapped in the debris after a landslide crushed homes in Irshalwadi, a tribal hamlet in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, an official said on Thursday (July 20).

NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. The Raigad police said last rites of 13 victims were performed near the disaster site. The NDRF personnel stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday. They will resume the exercise on Friday morning.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the state assembly, “A total of 228 people reside in the village. 70 of these locals were unaffected. Twenty one people were injured, of which 6 have been hospitalised in MGM hospital in Panvel. A total of 10 people have died so far.” Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is coordinating the rescue and relief operations at the emergency control room in Mumbai.

Also read: Difficult terrain of landslide-hit area in Maharashtra village poses hurdles for rescue teams

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site and spoke to the personnel engaged in rescue operations. He announced Rs 5 lakh relief to the next of the kin of those killed. While 75 people have been evacuated, two NDRF teams are looking for others trapped in the rubble, reports said. Minister Uday Samant said those who were rescued have been admitted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai.

Statement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Raigad’s Irshalgad incident updates till 3pm :
As more manpower was required, 1000 workers along with machinery were sent to Irshalgad (Raigad), through CIDCO. They have reached and are working under the supervision of NDRF.
3… pic.twitter.com/7HZ1kyY7v1

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 20, 2023

According to media reports, 15 to 20 houses were buried under the debris after the landslide. An NDRF official said 17 of the total 40 houses in the village were affected. “The debris at some of the places is 10 to 29 feet deep. It is difficult to bring in heavy machinery to this place. It is a 2.8 km trek to reach the spot and we have to remove the debris manually which is likely to take a lot of time. While we are facing difficulties, we will continue our operations till we retrieve the last person,” said NDRF Commandant SB Singh.

Orange alert in 10 districts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of further downpour over the week in several districts in Maharashtra, and has declared an “orange” alert for the 10 districts of Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Gondia. Other districts including Mumbai were put on a “yellow” alert for Thursday (July 20).

The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday (July 19) at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil, around 70 km from Mumbai, the official said. The village is located near Irshalgad fortress located between Matheran and Panvel. The fortress is a sister fort to Prabalgad.

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Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road. Chowk village on Mumbai-Pune Highway is the nearest town. The district administration has requested trekkers’ groups for help in the search and rescue operations.

Over 2,200 evacuated in Raigad

More than 2,200 people have been evacuated as heavy rains created a flood-like situation in parts of Maharashtra’s Raigad with the downpour damaging at least 125 houses in the district, where a massive landslide claimed several lives at a village, officials said on Thursday.

As a result of incessant rainfall, 17 out of 28 dams in Raigad are overflowing, the district administration said in a statement. Several places in the district recorded more than 200 mm rainfall in 24 hours, it said. The weather department had issued a red alert for July 18 and 19, it said.

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Due to heavy rainfall and flood-like situation at some places in the district, a total of 2,227 people from 746 families were moved to safety.  A landslide occurred in Ambenali ghat that connects Poladpur in Raigad district to Mahabaleshwar in Satara district on late Tuesday night. Following that, traffic on both sides of the route has been shut and restoration efforts are still on, officials said.

Due to heavy rain at Mahabaleshwar and Poladpur, the Savitri river is in spate and the flood water has entered the low-lying areas of Mahad town, they said. The level of the Patalganaga river is also flowing above the danger mark, which led to flooding in Aapta town.

Eyewitnesses recall horror

Eyewitnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi narrated the shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.

They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate. There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man, who used to stay along with four friends at night in a school located at the foot of the hillock.

#WATCH | Landslide in Raigad: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is coordinating the rescue and relief operations at the emergency control room, in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/6qnephhXG5

— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2023

Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard a loud sound. “I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses. My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris on the spot where my house was located,” he said fighting back tears.

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A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris. “I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives,” a man said. “It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged,” he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident has inflicted.

Biggest landslide since 2014

This is the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the July 30, 2014 landslide at Malin village in Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district. The massive landslide in 2014 had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families. The final death toll was 153 when the rescue operation was stopped. Nothing of the old village remains except for its school building.

(With inputs from agencies)