5 die following landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad

Mumbai, July 20

Five people died after a massive landslide at a village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, an official said on Thursday.

While 75 people have been rescued, many are still feared trapped, the official said. Four NDRF teams are engaged in rescue work, he added.

The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, the official said. The landslide followed torrential rains in the area.

NDRF personnel recovered one body from the landslide spot, while four bodies were recovered by the rescue teams earlier.

The village is 6km from Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai.

Minister Uday Samant said those rescued had been admitted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached the site and spoke to personnel engaged in rescue operations. “This village was not in the list of landslide-prone villages,” he told reporters there.

“Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he said.

The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil, around 80 km from Mumbai, the official said.