Maharashtra: Landslide death toll in Raigad district village reaches 21

The toll in the landslide-affected Irshalwadi village, Raigad district, Maharashtra, rose to 21 on Friday (July 21) as five more bodies were recovered from the debris, according to an official.

Of the five victims whose bodies were pulled out since the morning, three were men and two women, he said.

Four children, aged between 6 months to four years and including two siblings, are among the 21 deceased, said the official.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams resumed their search and rescue operation at the landslide site, located in a hilly terrain, around 6.30 am amid rainfall in the area after suspending the exercise overnight, said the official.

Also Read: Maharashtra landslide: Death toll at 16; rescue ops on to find 119 missing villagers

Local villagers and relatives of the people trapped under the debris are assisting the rescue teams, he said.

The massive landslide hit Irshalwadi, a tribal village located on a hill slope in the coastal district, around 80km from Mumbai, on Wednesday night. Till Thursday, 16 people had perished in the tragedy.

Of the total 228 residents of the village, the bodies of 21 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been traced, he said.

However, a total of 114 villagers are yet to be located. They include those who had gone out of the village to attend a marriage or for rice plantation work, the official said.

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

As the remote village does not have a pucca road, earth movers and excavators could not be easily moved and hence the operation is being carried out manually, he said.

NDRF personnel had to stop their search and rescue operation at the landslide site on Thursday evening due to bad weather.

(With agency inputs)