Indian landslide death toll set to exceed 150
GHODEGAON, India: The death toll from a major landslide in western India yesterday was expected to exceed 150, a health official said, after heavy monsoon rains sent mud and rocks tumbling on to homes.
Emergency forces rushed to a remote village in the state of Maharashtra, where a hill collapsed in the morning as residents were reportedly sleeping.
“We have removed 19 bodies. We expect about 140 more to come considering 44 houses were buried,” said HH Chavan, the affected Pune district’s deputy director of health.
“The majority of deaths are due to the crush-load of rubble which has buried the village,” Chavan said in Ghodegaon, a neighbouring village that has become a nerve centre for the rescue operation.
The National Disaster Response Force said it had mobilised nine teams with a strength of 378 trained personnel to help with the rescue effort, although continuing rains had been hampering operations.
Television footage showed a chunk of hillside dramatically giving way and a cascade of mud, rocks and trees, causing clouds of dust below. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the loss of life as “saddening” on Twitter, while footage showed workers carrying a victim on a stretcher towards vehicles as a crowd watched.
The police have cordoned off the affected village after people trying to reach the scene of the disaster caused miles-long jams, hampering the movement of rescue workers.
Only ambulances and other rescue vehicles are allowed beyond the cordon.
Pravin Sadhale, of the Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services, said rescue equipment was getting stuck in the narrow roads.
“The issue is that as we remove the mud, more is flowing in since the rains have been incessant,” he said.
The rescue operation was also a challenge because the area was 15-20km from the nearest medical facility, said Divisional Commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh.
Downpours have triggered small landslides in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in recent days, while authorities are closely watching rising river levels in case of floods.