Raigad landslide: The bodies of 21 people have been recovered so far after a major landslide hit Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil in Maharashtra's Raigad district on July 19 because of torrential rains, officials said on Friday.
The bodies of 16 persons were recovered yesterday. The number rose to 21 after five more bodies were recovered today in a search operation being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with teams of Raigad police and local authorities.
The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at the tribal village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai.
The search operations had to be halted on Thursday evening due to rains.
According to an official, three different types of searches are being carried out.
“We conduct three types of searches. We will conduct canine and physical searches here. It is a long and challenging trek, but we are trained for it. Yesterday, when we received the information our four teams reached the spot and started with the search and rescue operation,” Inspector 5BN NDRF Rahul Kumar Raghuwansh said.
CM Shinde takes stock of situation
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also visited the site of the tragedy and took stock of the situation. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased.
Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, both of who share their birthdays on July 22, have decided not to celebrate it in view of the tragedy. The birthday dinner which was scheduled for Thursday was also cancelled in light of the tragedy.
A control room was set up by the Raigad Police after the incident. Over 20 people were rescued from the spot, and many more were feared to be trapped, officials said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to CM Shinde.
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