Raigad landslide: Lack of road, tough topography hamper rescue efforts

Mumbai: Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be moved, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and officials at the site said on Thursday.

The landslide, which claimed five lives, occurred late Wednesday night on a hilltop in Irshalwadi village after torrential rains in the area.

A small approach road leading to hutments in the area has been slippery due to the rains, the official said, adding heavy machinery like earth-movers and excavators cannot be taken there.

Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road. Chowk village on Mumbai-Pune Highway is the nearest town.

So far, the rescue and search operation is being conducted manually, the official said.

Two helicopters have been kept ready for the rescue operation, but they cannot take-off until the weather is clear, the official said.

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.

Helicopters will be used to send the machinery to the spot for rescue operation, the CM said.

While 75 persons have so far been rescued, many are still feared trapped, as per officials.

Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with local authorities were engaged in rescue work, they said.

Fire brigade and some local trekkers were also helping in the rescue operation, an official said.

The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, the official said.

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

So far, 21 people have been shifted to various hospitals for treatment, an official said.

Authorities have set up a control room at the base of Irshalwadi, he said.

Meanwhile, speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said remote terrain, lack of a motorable road and hostile weather were hampering the search and rescue operation.

Pawar said Irsalwadi, the ill-fated hamlet where the landslide took place, is located on the foothills of Irsalgad and is on a steep gradient, which makes it difficult for even a bicycle to go there.

Earth moving machines cannot reach the site due to lack of a motorable road, as a result of which relief work was being carried out manually.

It takes about one-and-half hours to reach the site from where the motorable road ends, Pawar said.

He said 150 labourers were at the site and an additional 500 were on the way to bolster the rescue efforts.

This is apart from the National Disaster Response Force and trekking teams that have been deployed at the site.

Two IAF assets kept on stand-by for the relief operation have not been able to take off for the site, where a temporary helipad has been built, due to inclement weather, the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as well as ministers Girish Mahajan and Aditi Tatkare have gone to the spot.  Pawar said the village had received 449 millimetres of rains between July 17 and 19.

Medical teams have reached the village, which was, incidentally, not on the list of landslide prone spots, Pawar added.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued during the day, Pawar asked his supporters not to organise celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday on July 22 and directed them to donate money to rehabilitation efforts in the landslide hit area.

Incidentally, his supporters had planned to organise 'Ajitotsav' from July 22-31 to mark the birthday.