Over 30 families are feared trapped in Maharashtra's Raigad district following a landslide late last night. The incident took place near Khalapur, where several houses of a tribal hamlet are located. So far 25 people have been evacuated out of which four have died. The remaining 21 have been admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the spot and started search and rescue operations following the incident. Two more teams have left from Mumbai to join the operation.
"We will get a better idea of the situation when the daylight comes. Presently over 100 people from Police and district administration are involved in the rescue operation and we are getting help from NDRF, locals and some NGOs too," the Raigad Police said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Many districts of Maharashtra have experienced heavy rain in the last two days. Two of the six major rivers in Raigad district, Savitri and Patalganaga, were flowing above the danger mark, while Kundalika and Amba rivers had reached the 'alert' mark, and Gadhi and Ulhas were flowing close to the 'alert' mark, according to district administrations.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Raigad and Palghar districts.
The NDRF has deployed 12 teams across Maharashtra to help with flood relief efforts. Five teams have been deployed in Mumbai, and one team each in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nagpur, and Thane.
Due to the incessant downpour, all government and private schools in Mumbai will remain closed today due to heavy rain.
