PUNE: The death toll in the landslide at a village in Maharashtra's Pune district Wednesday has gone up to eight with three more bodies being extricated from the rubble. Additional district collector Ganesh Patil said two persons have also been pulled out alive.
Around 300 NDRF personnel are assisting the local administration in the rescue operations, he said. Over 160 people were feared trapped when part of a hillside smashed 44 houses at Malin village this morning amid heavy rains.
Rescue operations are on in full swing with the help of two teams from the National Disaster Response Force, District Collector Saurav Rao said. The rescuers were moving slowly to avoid causing harm to the survivors, he said.
About 30 ambulances and fire brigade teams from adjoining areas have been rushed to the spot, he added. IG, NDRF, Sandeep Rai Rathore said his teams had difficulty reaching the scene of occurrence due to damage caused to roads. Quoting district authorities, he said, upto 200 people may be trapped.
Chavan has left for the village with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar to personally monitor rescue efforts. Hospitals in the vicinity have been put on alert and medical teams rushed to the spot. Rescuers are facing a tough time due to rain. Large parts of Maharashtra are witnessing heavy and incessant rains over the past few days.
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