65 feared buried in several landslides in Maharashtra, many more trapped

Mumbai, July 23, 2021

In a series of massive disasters, at least 65 villagers are reported buried alive in several hillslides and landslides that occurred in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Satara districts of the state following torrential rains, top officials said here on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that as per initial reports, between 30 and 35 people have perished in a hillslide tragedy in a remote Raigad village and huge efforts are underway to rescue those stuck under the boulders and slush.

The shocking incident occurred in the small Talai village near Mahad town in the hilly stretch of Maharashtra's Raigad district, which has been clobbered with heavy downpours for the past three days.

As per preliminary information, an estimated 50-60 metres portion of a hillock broke loose and slid onto around three dozen homes below, trapping a majority of the victims under the boulders, stones and slush which hurtled down at full force.

Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare said he was rushing to the tragedy scene along with other rescue teams as intermittent rains and floods coupled with debris, muck and loose soil there continued to hamper the operations, amid fears that the toll could go up.

In other incidents, at least 30 persons were killed in different landslides or hillslides in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Satara and over 50 others are still feared trapped in these districts that have witnessed heavy floods and waterlogging after heavy rains in the past 48 hours, said officials.

IANS