Rescuers battle rain as landslide in India kills 41

MALIN (India) — Rescue workers and desperate villagers dug through deep mud, rocks and the debris of shattered homes yesterday after a massive landslide buried a remote village in western India, killing at least 41 people and leaving about 100 missing and feared dead, the authorities said.

Two days of torrential rains triggered the landslide early on Wednesday, but national rescue personnel could not reach the stricken area in Pune district of Maharashtra state for several hours because of bad communications, dangerous roads and debris. The disaster only came to light when a bus driver passed by and saw that the village had been wiped out.

“The driver returned to a nearby city and alerted the authorities,” said Mr Suresh Jadhav, a district official. “Everything on the mountain came down.”

Forty-one bodies had been recovered and nine people pulled out alive, rescue official Suresh Yadav said. Those rescued included a mother and her three-month-old son, whose cries caught the attention of rescuers on Wednesday.

Ms Pramila Lende, the mother, said she was feeding the baby when she heard the roar of rocks and mud hurtling down the hillside. “I started running with my child but a heap of mud landed on my body.” She kept the baby in an area with breathing space until his cries were heard, she said.

Rain was still hampering the effort by yesterday morning, with slush all around. Mr Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander, said chances of finding any more survivors were very remote.

Crowds of people from nearby areas were helping rescuers, using their bare hands to move fallen trees and rocks. Overnight, emergency workers used floodlights mounted on jeeps to illuminate the disaster area, where the tangled roofs of homes poked up through thick mud. Rescuers expect the death toll to rise in the village, which is home to 704 people in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountains.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of lives and said all possible efforts must be made to help the victims, said a statement from his office. He sent Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the disaster area. About 250 disaster response workers and at least 100 ambulances were involved in the rescue effort, Mr Jadhav said.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through next month.

The area around the village has been extensively deforested, increasing its vulnerability to landslides. Similar deforestation and environmental damage have caused floods and landslides in other parts of India. Pune district is about 150km south-east of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital.

On Thursday, heavy rains hit a remote mountainous village in northern India and killed five people, said Mr Amit Chandola, a spokesman for the state government. At least two houses were destroyed in Tehri district in the hilly Uttarakhand state, he said. The village is 300km north of New Delhi.

Last year, more than 6,000 people were killed as floods and landslides swept through Uttarakhand state during the monsoon season. AP