Raigad landslide July 20 updates | Rescue operations called off for the day; NDRF confirms 16 deaths

Raigad landslide Update | Owning to heavy rainfall and the threat of further landslide in the dark, the rescue operation has been called off with consultation of Local Administration and will resume tomorrow morning. The final figure for today is 16 dead bodies recovered and 21 people rescued: NDRF

ANI

Rescue operations at Irshalwadi have been halted owing to poor visibility, continuing rain.

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve on Thursday demanded a survey of villages across mountain ranges in the State after at least 15 people were killed in a landslide in Raigad district.

This survey should be done on a mission mode, he tweeted.

Mr. Danve said he reached the tribal village, located on a hill, after a climb and interacted with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force at the site.

There is a need to learn from the Irshalwadi tragedy, he said on social media.

“There is an utmost need to carry out an audit of villages sitting on foothills in mountain ranges like Sahyadri and Satpuda and their geographical location. The villages that need relocation should be moved on priority,” he tweeted.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said governments will come and go but this work should not stop. “It should be done on a ‘mission’ mode so that no one loses their life like this (in Irshalwadi),” he tweeted.

PTI

Mumba’s civic body has sent equipment for rescue and relief operations in connection with the landslide in Irshalwadi in Raigad district that killed at least 12 persons, an official said on Thursday.

He said, acting on the directive of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had sent three Bobcat-make machines from its solid waste management department sites at Mahim, Juhu and Mulund.

These backhoe loaders, with greater manoeuvrability due to their small size, are being ferried by vehicles along with an earth-mover from the civic hydraulic department, he added.

The CM, who is at the site, asked the BMC to send these equipment on war footing, a civic statement said.

Meanwhile, Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said rescue teams and equipment have moved towards the site of the landslide in the early hours of the day.

A team of the Thane Disaster Response Force, fire engines from CBD Belapur, Vashi and Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, and personnel along with 10 ambulances have been dispatched, he said.

PTI

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.

In the 24-hour period ending 10 am on Thursday, Panvel taluka received 267.7 mm rainfall, followed by Poladpur at 266 mm, Mahad 230.9 mm, Karjat 226.6 mm, Pen 212.7 mm, Uran 207.5 mm, Sudhagad 196.4 mm, Khalapur 182.5 mm, Tala 186 mm and Aliabg 180.4 mm.

Mhasala taluka recorded 169.5 mm rainfall during this period, followed by Roha 156.9 mm, Mangaon 148.1 mm, Shrivardhan 145.4 mm and Murud 134.8 mm, it said, adding that the district’s average rainfall recorded during this period was 198 mm.

The weather department had issued a red alert for July 18 and 19, it said.

PTI

Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be moved, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and officials at the site said on Thursday.

A small approach road leading to hutments in the area has been slippery due to the rains, the official said, adding heavy machinery like earth-movers and excavators cannot be taken there.

Two helicopters have been kept ready for the rescue operation, but they cannot take-off until the weather is clear, the official said.

PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reaches disaster spot at Irshalwadi after climbing from base camp at the foothills.

“Twelve bodies have been retrieved so far. 93 people are safe. We are still trying to corroborate the actual figures as some from the halmet were out working somewhere else. It is an extremely unfortunate incident. The government is firmly behind them in their hour of grief. We have already announced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the deceased. Continuing heavy rains are still hampering rescue operations,” he says.

In view of continuous downpour in parts of Maharashtra and heavy rainfall warning, the state government on Thursday issued an advisory, asking people not to step out of homes unless necessary.

Mumbai received an average 100 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8 am on Thursday, while neighbouring Thane city received a whopping 213.84 mm rainfall during that period. Some coastal districts, including Raigad and Ratnagiri, have been receiving incessant rainfall, officials said.

“The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already issued a heavy rainfall warning for some districts in the state. There has been a downpour for the last two days as well. The citizens should not venture out unnecessarily,” the government said in its advisory.

PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after landslide in Raigad district killed at least 10 amid heavy rainfall while several are still trapped.

Shah said four National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to carry out the rescue operation.Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “I spoke with CM Eknath Shinde regarding the landslide due to heavy rain in Raigad in Maharashtra. 4 NDRF teams have reached the spot and are working with the local administration to carry out a rescue operation. Our priority is to rescue people from there and provide immediate medical help to the injured.”

ANI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday expressed grief over the landslide incident in Raigad that killed at least four people. He also announced an aid of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased, said officials.

According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Maharashtra, CM Eknath Shinde announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

CMO Maharashtra tweeted, “Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed grief over the tragedy when the crevice collapsed on Irsalwadi settlement. Tributes have been paid to the dead in this accident. The Chief Minister said that the families of the deceased in this accident will be given an aid of five lakhs and the government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured.”

ANI

Four persons were injured when a portion of a ground-plus-three-storey building collapsed in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Thursday, a civic official said.

The building, located opposite Bhayander railway station, was around 20 years’ old and declared dangerous, Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation’s disaster cell chief Manashri Mhatre told PTI.

Thane and its adjoining areas have been receiving heavy rains since the last few days.

Mhatre said the civic body had already evacuated residents of the building as it was declared dangerous, but some shops on the ground floor were occupied.

A portion of the building collapsed at around 11.30 am on Thursday. Four persons were pulled out of the debris and admitted to hospital for treatment, she said.

The official said the shopkeepers have confirmed no other person was trapped under the debris. “But we will continue the search operation,” she said.

PTI

There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man whose parents were trapped under the rubble of a massive landslide at Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.

Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard loud sound.

“I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses,” he said.

“My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris at the place of my house,” he said while fighting back tears.

Nobody was able to come out, he said.

The man also said he has a brother, who studies in a nearby ashram (residential) school, and he is yet to hear from him.

PTI

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar speaking in the Maharashtra upper house ( Legislative Council) on the Irsalwadi landslide: “Irsalwadi was not in the list of potentially landslide-prone places as per the Geological Survey of India (GSI) report. Also, there had not been any incidents of landslides in this place before. Khalapur taluk had received a total of 499 mm rainfall between July 17 and 19.”

Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be moved, an official said on Thursday.

The landslide, which claimed five lives, occurred late Wednesday night on a hilltop in Irshalwadi village after torrential rains in the area. -PTI

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis speaking on the Irshalwadi landslide in the Legislative Assembly said ten bodies have been identified.

“Ten bodies have been identified thus far as per information received till 10:15 a.m. Of Irshalwadi’s populace of 228, 70 were safe at the time of the incident 21 were injured. Disaster management operations and a base camp have been set up at the foothills as it is impossible for JCB machines or any other vehicle to reach the disaster spot. The village takes one-half hours for a person to walk from the foothills and is accessible only to able-bodied men and trekkers, who are involved in the manual rescue operations at the moment,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis speaking on the incident, “Till now, seven bodies have been recovered. Around 80 persons have been identified as being safe. Just how many are trapped in the debris cannot be said for sure. All rescue operations have to be carried out manually owing to the bad weather conditions. Heavy machines cannot reach the spot. CM Eknath Shinde himself is managing rescue operations there.”

Vulnerability spots are continuously changing, as are weather patterns. Hence, it is difficult for the administration to predict when disaster strikes, Mr. Fadnavis said.

Amid the rainfall situation in Maharashtra’s Palghar the district administration instructed 23 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team to be prepared to deal with torrential rains, said officials on Thursday.

As per District Magistrate Office Palghar, the district administration in Palghar, Maharashtra, gave 23 NDRF members instructions to be ready amid persistent downpours. -ANI

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar speaking on the landslide, said, “The incident occurred around 11 p.m. last night in Khalapur taluk. As per information, Irshalwadi is a hamlet with 228 people and 48 families. Till now, there are five confirmed casualties. There is no accessible road to the village. An NDRF team of 60 persons has reached there, but they, too, are facing enormous problems. Two helicopters have been kept in readiness but inclement weather is preventing take-off.”