Four days after a landslide struck a village in western India’s Arshal valley, hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for people under the debris and 27 bodies have been recovered so far, while several others are still missing.
According to international media reports, several people have been killed and many are still missing due to massive landslides following heavy monsoon rains in Arshal Wadi village of Raigad district, about 80 km from the capital city of Maharashtra, Mumbai.
Four children are among the dead, while the number of missing persons is estimated to be more than 70. At least 17 of the village’s 48 houses were completely or partially buried under the debris, local officials said.
“We have counted 27 bodies so far and around 50 to 60 people are still missing,” aid official Yogesh Mahase told mediapersons.
The official also mentioned several challenges faced in the rescue work at the scene. On the other hand, Pramod Kumar Singh of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said that the biggest hurdle at the moment is to bring heavy machinery and other equipment to the scene.
This is why everything is done by hand. Rescuers are mostly using rods and shovels.
