India landslide: Death toll climbs to 21 as rescuers dig for survivors

Emergency workers search for victims after 22 people were confirmed dead in a landslide in Maharashtra, India. AF

Hopes were fading for dozens missing after the landslide smashed into the village in Raigad on July 20. AFP

In this handout photograph released by India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and taken on July 21, 2023, NDRF personnel inspect the site of a landslide at Irshalwadi village of Raigad district in Maharashtra state. (Photo by India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Women mourn the death of relatives in a landslide in Raigad, Maharashtra. Reuters

A woman whose family were trapped under rubble after the landslide washed away houses in Raigad district. AP Photo

Disaster recovery workers near the landslide site after the village, home to more than 200 people, was engulfed in mud. EPA

Damaged structures after the disaster in Irshalwadi village. EPA

Local police said conditions were hampering rescue operations. EPA

A house affected by the landslide in Irshalwadi village. EPA

Rescuers work at the site of the landslide, which was triggered by torrential rains in Raigad district. AP Photo

Rescuers at the site where many people were trapped under piles of debris. AP Photo

Rescuers found five more bodies in India’s western Maharashtra state on Friday, raising the death toll from a landslide triggered by torrential rains to at least 21, with many others feared trapped under debris, officials said.

A team of 60 rescuers and trained trekkers has been sent to rescue people trapped by the landslide, which occurred late on Wednesday night, the state's deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.

Harsh weather has hampered rescue efforts and authorities have sent in medical teams to help the injured, he added.

While 75 people have been rescued, many others are still stuck, an official told the Press Trust of India news agency.

The landslide hit Irshalwadi village in the Raigad district and buried 17 of the 50 houses there.

Search operations were suspended on Thursday night due to heavy rainfall plus the threat of further landslides in the dark, the National Disaster Response Force said.

It said rescuers had resumed search operations on Friday and found five bodies, raising the confirmed death toll to 21. Nine members of one family were killed in the mudslide, The Indian Express reported.

Ten other rescued people have been taken to hospital, it said. It did not say how many people were feared trapped under the rubble.

The hilly terrain has made the task of rescuers difficult because heavy equipment to remove the rubble cannot be moved easily. From the base of the hill, it takes about 90 minutes to reach Irshalwadi due to a lack of paved roads.

India's weather department placed Maharashtra under alert as the state was lashed by incessant rains this week. The downpours have disrupted life for many in the state, including in the capital, Mumbai, where authorities shut schools on Thursday.

Local train service has been disrupted, with water flowing inside stations and over tracks, local media reported.

Record monsoon rains killed more than 100 people in northern India over the past two weeks, officials said, as the downpours caused roads to cave in and homes to collapse.

Monsoon rains across the country have already brought about 2 per cent more rainfall this year than normal, the weather agency said.

India regularly experiences severe floods during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.

Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic because of climate change, leading to frequent landslides and flash floods in India’s Himalayan north.