Raigad landslide: 15 feared dead as NDRF conducts rescue operation

At least 15 people are feared dead in the landslide that occurred in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on the night of 19 July. Officials say that the incident happened at 11 pm at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil. Maharashtra has been witnessing heavy rains for the past couple of days forcing many districts to come to a standstill. So far, over 2,200 people have been evacuated from the rain-affected area. Heavy downpours have also resulted in damage to at least 125 homes in the district. As a result of incessant rainfall, 17 out of 28 dams in Raigad are overflowing, the district administration said in a statement. CM Shinde visits Raigad Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday rushed to the village in Raigad to assess the situation on the ground. “Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed grief over the tragedy when the crevice collapsed on the Irsalwadi settlement. Tributes have been paid to the dead in this accident. The Chief Minister said that the families of the deceased in this accident will be given an aid of five lakhs and the government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) tweeted. “About 15-20 were feared dead in Raigad landslide. The rescue operations are going on a war footing, inclement weather creating problems for air rescue operations,” Shinde said after he visited the district. Earlier today, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was deployed in Raigad to conduct rescue operations in the rain-hit district. Amit Shah takes stock of situation Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Eknath Shinde to enquire about the landslide. “I spoke to the Chief Minister Shri @mieknathshinde ji regarding the landslide caused by heavy rains in Raigad, Maharashtra. 4 NDRF teams have reached the spot and are carrying out rescue operations along with the local administration. Our priority is to evacuate people from there and give immediate treatment to the injured,” Shah said in a tweet in Hindi. With inputs from agencies