At least 25 people are estimated to have been killed, while a couple of hundred more are feared to be still trapped under the debris when a hillock came crashing down early this morning in the Malin village of Ambegaon taluka.
According to reports, the 40-home village at the foot of Bhimashanker in Pune district around 120 km from Pune is virtually buried under the rocks, boulders and slush.
The landslide follows torrential rains in the region that has been experiencing heavy downpours for the last four days.
Though two groups of the National Disaster Response Force have left for the village, the Maharashtra CM’s office has tweeted that the slush is making it difficult to take earth moving equipment to the site.
PTI reports:
Casualties were feared as several people were suspected to have been trapped inside houses on a hillside following a landslide in Maharashtra’s Pune district today, police said.
People living in about 35 houses have come under the debris of a hillock that caved in at village Malin in Ambegaon taluka of the district when they were asleep, Pune (rural) police said.
Rescue operations are on and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been rushed from the neighbouring Talegaon camp to the village, about 120 km from here.
According to District Collector, Saurav Rao, the administration has mobilised rescue machinery to pull out those trapped.
“Exact number of causalities is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely.
About 30 ambulances have been rushed from adjoining areas to extend medical help to the victims,” he said, adding earth moving equipment from government and private parties were being pressed into service.
Communication difficulties and rains were affecting the operations, he said.
Rescue operations
State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, Patangrao Kadam, said that the rescue operations were going on in full swing in coordination with various government agencies.
Pune Divisional Commissioner, Prabhakar Deshmukh, is coordinating the relief work, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Dilip Walse Patil, said.
“The Pune district collector and SP have reached the spot. The divisional commissioner is coordinating the relief work,” Walse Patil, who represents the affected region in the state Assembly, said.
“The NDRF teams have also reached the spot,” he said.
Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan, and Deputy CM, Ajit Pawar, have rushed to the village.