A landslide triggered by heavy rains in India’s western Maharashtra state has killed at least 10 people, with many others feared trapped under piles of debris, officials say.
According to Indian media reports, rescue teams on Thursday were battling lashing rain in the remote, hilly and forested Raigad district, with people scrambling at mounds of earth and rubble.
The landslide occurred in Irshalwadi, a mountain village in Raigad late on Wednesday night, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.
Harsh weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts and authorities have sent in medical teams to help the injured, he added.
While 75 people have been rescued, many others are still stuck in the hamlet, about 60km (37 miles) from the state capital, Mumbai, an official told reporters.
State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at the site on Thursday and told reporters, “The priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble.”
Some pockets of Raigad district, dotted with old forts and laced with trekking trails, received as much as 400mm of rain in the last 24 hours, according to the weather department.
A landslide in a nearby village killed more than 80 people two years ago.
India’s weather department has put Maharashtra and neighbouring Gujarat states on alert as the region has been lashed by incessant rains this week.
