Raigad landslide: 5 bodies recovered, 75 people rescued, says deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

Five persons died after a massive landslide at a village in Maharashtra's Raigad district, an official said on Thursday. While 75 persons 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 rescue teams earlier.

So far, five bodies have been recovered from the debris and 75 people have been rescued after a landslide was reported in Raigad district late on Wednesday. "Till now five bodies have been recovered from the debris in Irshalwadi village of Khalapur tehsil of Raigad district. Till now 75 people have been rescued", said deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday.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.