At last 16 people died and several others were feared to be trapped after a landslide hit Irsalwadi, a tribal village in Khalapur taluka in Raigad district late on Wednesday night. The area received heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours. During the rescue operation, Shivram Dhumane, a fire brigade official of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation died. The body of the fire official is being brought to CBD Belapur Fire Station in Navi Mumbai.
As per the disaster management of Raigad district, the incident occurred around 10.30 pm on Wednesday and they received a call around 11.30 pm.
The initial information provided by the district administration, a total of 227 people were living in the village from 48 families. Around 70 people have already been rescued from 25 families and the rescue operation is underway.
The NDRF said that two teams have reached the spot and launched the search and rescue operation. They further informed that two more teams have left from Mumbai to join the operation.
Meanwhile, the Raigad Police has set up a control room after the incident. The police said that so far they have rescued 22 people from the spot but many are feared trapped in the debris.
More updates below
Maharashtra Ministers Uday Samant and Dada Bhuse reached Khalapur's Irshalwadi in Raigad district.
NDRF Pune team tweeted a video from the site of incident.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde arrives at the site of the landslide in Irshalwadi village of Khalapur tehsil of Raigad district.
More visuals from the rescue operations underway.
Ravi Prakash, senior commandant of NDRF who is at the spot said that around 17 houses were completely submerged and it's difficult to assess that how many are still trapped inside the debris. There are four teams of NDRF have been deployed. Since the village is located remote and not easily accessible, NDRF teams are facing challenges in deploying heavy machinery.
The village is located close to the Irsalgad fort which is a popular trekking destination. The area received over 300 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Due to incessant rains, the rescue operation has become difficult.
Meanwhile, the injured have been admitted to MGM Hospital in Kamothe. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare visited the hospital and inquired about their condition in the morning. She clarified that the government will bear all the expenses for the treatment of the injured.
Eknath Shinde, chief of Maharashtra visited the spot early on Thursday morning and announced Rs 5 lakh relief to the kin of deceased persons. Shinde also interacted with landslide-affected villagers.
State Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has directed the district administration to provide food grains packets from nearby Shiv Bhojan Thali centre. They will also be provided with 5 liter of Kerosene oil for cooking. The supply will continue till they returns to previous condition.
Rescue operation:
After the accident, relief teams were dispatched from Alibag, Khopoli, Karjat, Lonavala, Badlapur, Panvel, Vashi and Mumbai. A total of 8 ambulances, 44 officers and staff, 2 JCBs have been dispatched from Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC). From Karjat, the medical officer staff of Kalam, Ambivali, Mohil Primary Health Centers are at the spot. Due to difficulty in reaching the accident site, Maharashtra Sahyadri Trekker Groups, Yashwanti Hackers have also participated in this relief work.
Beds have been prepared for treatment at Government Hospital and MGM Hospital and water bottles, blankets, torches, first aid materials, sheets, biscuits and other first aid materials have been made available at the incident site.
