Officials say that at least 16 individuals were murdered on Thursday when a landslide plowed into their hamlet in the state of Maharashtra in India. Residents of the area are concerned that the number of fatalities could dramatically increase.
The National Disaster Response Force of India said that 16 persons had been murdered and that they had suspended rescue operations due to the persistent rains and the “threat of more landslides.” But the volunteer Santosh Kumar was concerned that the number might be far higher.
Although we did not make an accurate count of the deceased, my best guess is that there were somewhere between sixty and seventy of them. According to Kumar, we were able to bury somewhere between 12 and 14 of the remains there on the spot.
In the distant, hilly, and heavily wooded Raigad district, where rescue teams were working, it was pouring rain, and people were scrambling over piles of soil and rubble.
The deputy chief minister of the state, Devendra Fadnavis, stated that there were at least one thousand people working on the rescue operation.
According to Fadnavis, there are approximately 200 individuals living in the region, and only 70 of them have been rescued. An inspector named Harish Kalsekar from the police department stated earlier that it was believed that approximately 50 persons were buried beneath the debris.
According to Kalsekar, because it is raining along with the topography is mountainous, it is impossible to move big equipment there. Amit Shah, India’s Minister of the Interior, stated that evacuating people from the area and providing prompt medical care to those injured was the top priority.
Since the beginning of the monsoon rainy season in June, India has been pummeled by rains, and landslides and flooding have resulted in the deaths of a significant number of people.
The annual flood brought on by the monsoon rains is responsible for widespread destruction and is necessary for the replenishment of rivers and groundwater.
Dams, deforestation, and other economic development initiatives in India are worsening the human toll, and experts argue that climate change is to blame for the increase in the frequency of severe weather conditions that are occurring around the world.
