Five people were killed and several others are feared trapped under the debris after a landslide hit Irsalwadi, a tribal hamlet in Maharashtra’s Raigad district late on Wednesday night. The region has been lashed by incessant rains over the last 24 hours. NDRF teams have rushed to the site amid reports of at least 100 persons feared to be trapped, the official said.Over 20 persons injured in the landslide have been admitted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai, the official said. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced 5 lakh compensation for the deceased families.
The district administration has sought help from trekkers groups for search and rescue operations. The landslide that occurred at around 11pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil is around 80 km from Mumbai, an official said. The village is located near Irshalgad fortress located between Matheran and Panvel. The fortress is a sister fort to Prabalgad. Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road. This is the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the July 30, 2014 landslide at Malin village in Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district. That massive landslide had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families. The final death toll was 153 when the rescue operation was stopped. Nothing of the old village remains except for its school building.