Ten people were killed and over 100 are feared trapped following a landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad district late last night. The incident took place near Khalapur, where several houses of a tribal hamlet are located. So far 75 people have been evacuated.
The landslide caused a large amount of soil and rocks to fall from a hill, burying about 30 houses. Irsalwadi, where the incident took place, is a remote village located on top of a hill. The terrain is difficult and there is no clear path to the village. The only way to the village is a 1 km trek.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also arrived at the scene of the landslide this morning and is assessing the situation. The Chief Minister is meeting with officials to discuss how to speed up rescue efforts and safely evacuate those who are trapped under the debris.
Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the spot and started search and rescue operations following the incident. Two more teams from Mumbai have also join the operation.
The NDRF, Navi Mumbai fire brigade and police have reached the site of the landslide on foot. There are also reports of one fire brigade personnel dying while climbing to the site.
Two helicopters are on standby at Santacruz Airport in Mumbai to help with the search and rescue operation, but the weather conditions have been too dangerous for it to fly. There are currently 150 NDRF and 500 CIDCo personnel on the ground, but the steep slope of the area is making it difficult to reach the spot where the missing people are believed to be. It takes 60-90 minutes to reach the spot, and the terrain is also very slippery.
"We will get a better idea of the situation when the daylight comes. Presently over 100 people from Police and district administration are involved in the rescue operation and we are getting help from NDRF, locals and some NGOs too," the Raigad Police said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Many districts of Maharashtra have experienced heavy rain in the last two days. Two of the six major rivers in Raigad district, Savitri and Patalganaga, were flowing above the danger mark, while Kundalika and Amba rivers had reached the 'alert' mark, and Gadhi and Ulhas were flowing close to the 'alert' mark, according to district administrations.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Raigad and Palghar districts.
The NDRF has deployed 12 teams across Maharashtra to help with flood relief efforts. Five teams have been deployed in Mumbai, and one team each in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nagpur, and Thane.
Due to the incessant downpour, all government and private schools in Mumbai will remain closed today due to heavy rain.
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