The death toll from a gigantic landslide in the state of Maharashtra, in central-western India, increased to 27 dead on Sunday and at least 50 people are still missing, according to the authorities. Monsoon rains triggered a landslide on Thursday that hit Irshalwadi village in Raigad district, a hilly and forested area about 100 kilometers from Mumbai.
“Rescue work poses many problems”Yogesh Mhase, a local official, told Agence France-Presse on Sunday, adding that the isolated hamlet is 5 kilometers from the nearest road. “No heavy equipment can reach this site, we only have small machines and most of the work has to be done manually”added Mr. Mhase.
Several families killed
“The heavy rains that have not stopped also make the operation much more difficult”, he lamented, saying he was not optimistic about the likelihood of still finding survivors on the fourth day of the ongoing rescue operation. According to local media, several families were killed.
Since the onset of the monsoon in India in early June, floods and landslides have killed dozens of people in the country. Experts believe that climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events around the world.