Maharashtra landslide: NDRF calls off operation, says minister

The National Disaster Response Force has finally called of its search-and-rescue operation in Wednesday’s landslide in Irshalwadi in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, state minister Uday Samant said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Samant, who is guardian minister of Raigad, said the decision was taken in consultation with the district administration and other concerned authorities as well as local residents.

So far, 27 bodies have been recovered while 57 are untraceable, officials said, adding that no body was found from the debris on Sunday.

These include 12 men, 10 women and four children, while one corpse has not been identified as yet, they added.

At least 17 of 48 houses in the remote tribal village, which is at least an hour away from a motorable road, were fully or partially buried in the landslide that took place around 10:30pm on July 19.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies resumed the search and rescue operation for the fourth day on Sunday at Irshalwadi, some 80 kilometres from Mumbai, after calling it off the previous evening due to darkness and inclement weather.

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