5 dead, several feared trapped after landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad

Five people were killed and several others are feared trapped under the debris after a landslide hit Irsalwadi, a tribal hamlet in Maharashtra’s Raigad district late on Wednesday night, July 20. The region has witnessed incessant rains over the last 24 hours.

Search operations are underway and 75 people have been rescued so far, as per Industries Minister Uday Samant.

“The incident occurred at 10.30 in the night at a place adjoining Irsalgad in Raigad district. It is a very remote inaccessible area which is hampering rescue attempts. As of now 4 people have died and 25 people have been rescued. More people are feared to be trapped and NDRF and district administration is making attempts to rescue people,” the minister, who is at the spot coordinating the rescue attempts, said.

The village is six km from Morbe dam, whiDamsupplies water to Navi Mumbai. Minister Uday Samant said those rescued have been admitted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached the site and spoke to personnel engaged in rescue operations. "This village was not on the list of landslide-prone villages," he told reporters there.
"Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble," he said.

The village is located near Irshalgad fortress located between Matheran and Panvel. The fortress is a sister fort to Prabalgad. 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.

This is the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the July 30, 2014 landslide at Malin village in Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district. That massive landslide 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 PTI Inputs