Raigad landslide toll 22, over 100 still missing as hope for survivors fades

“We suspended the rescue operations on Friday evening and will resume again on Saturday morning. We recovered six bodies from the debris today. While the death toll was 16 yesterday, it shot up to 22 today,” Deepak Tiwari, a senior NDRF officer, told The Indian Express.

On Friday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said 48 families lived in the tribal village with a population of 228. “About 17 to 18 houses have collapsed. 98 persons have been rescued safely in the rescue operation. Tracing of the remaining 109 persons out of 228 is underway,” Shinde said in a tweet, adding that Irshalwadi was not included in the list of potential fissure-prone places as per the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

A massive landslide struck Irshalwadi on Wednesday night. The village is located near the Irshalgad fort, which is a popular trekking destination during the weekends. Most villagers belong to the Thakur Adivasi tribe and are reported to have been living in the area for generations.

“Since yesterday (Thursday), four teams of NDRF have been involved in the search operations. Even today, we will divide the 200×200 metres landslide-affected area into zones. With the help of local people, we are trying to retrieve bodies. Various other agencies have joined us in the rescue operation,” S B Singh, Commandant, 5 Battalion, NDRF, said in a statement on Friday.

Officials engaged in the rescue ops said the muddy route, inclement weather and narrow pathway leading up to the Irshalwadi hamlet had slowed them down. “The debris from the landslide is 20-25 feet deep and can be excavated through heavy machines like JCBs. Since the roads are muddy and narrow, we have been excavating manually,” said an NDRF worker, requesting anonymity.

Speaking to The Indian Express, locals and trekkers who joined hands with government officials in the rescue operations said they have little hope of finding any survivors. They claimed a portion of the mountain which came down had engulfed the village, leaving no trace of it.

One of the first locals who joined the rescue operations was Ram Pardhi (35), who runs a shop in the foothills of the mountain that leads up to Irshalwadi. He claimed he had lost 25 family members and acquaintances in the mishap. “Around 11 pm, I received calls from the people uphill informing me of the incident. I trekked up to the village within 15 minutes. The winds and rains were strong. I could see trees breaking and stones rolling down the hill,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shubham Borade (27), a Karjat resident, also arrived at the spot to help with the operations on Thursday night. Borade and his band of friends helped recover three bodies from the rubble. “It was extremely difficult to spot the bodies. Some young boys pointed me their home, which had disappeared, and directed me towards a cupboard next to which their brothers and other family members would sleep. We couldn’t find anyone but the cupboard,” he said.

He recalled that he spotted people from their hands and legs which were visible at some places. “The bodies had turned black and blue and in some cases, were bruised. It was difficult to be there,” said Borade, adding that he decided to come down as he couldn’t take in the disturbing sight.

Amongst the various household objects that Borade spotted at the site was a wall clock that had stopped working at 10.55 pm. “It is possible that this is when the landslide struck”, he said.

Amid mounting adversities, while locals have lost all hopes of finding anyone alive, NDRF and teams of SDRF and Thane Disaster Response Force were engaged in rescue operations.