Pune landslide live: Death toll hits 75, at least 100 more feared buried

2.00 pm: Death toll rises to 75, at least 100 more feared buried

With the recovery of five more bodies, the toll in the landslide catastrophe at Malin village rose to 75 today while 100 more people were believed to be buried in the debris.

The dead included 37 women and 10 children, the District Control Room said. Mass cremations of the victims are being carried out at the village after identification of bodies by relatives.

The rescue operations, which have been hampered by rain and inclement weather, entered the fourth day today after the 30 July disaster that buried 44 houses, as hopes of finding survivors faded with every passing hour.

About 100 more persons still could be under the massive debris, district authorities said. - PTI

Updates for 1 August end

10:45 pm: Death toll reaches 70 on day three

As hopes of finding more survivors are receding, rescuers dug out 29 more bodies as the toll in the Malin landslide disaster rose to 70.

Over 100 people are still feared trapped under the debris of the landslide.

NDRF personnel, whose relentless rescue efforts entered the third day, wore masks to keep out stench of the decomposed bodies.

The dead victims whose bodies have been extricated so far include 28 males, 32 females and 10 children, the district control room set up to monitor the situation said.

Mass cremations were being performed by relatives who reached the village.

The state relief and rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam told reporters that the rescue operation was expected to continue for another two days.

A lull in the rains this morning enabled NDRF jawans to clear the mud faster using JCBs and dumpers, he added.

4:24 pm: Death toll climbs to 63, Maharashtra CM announces aid of Rs 5 lakh

The death toll in the Malin village landslide climbed to 63 even as NDRF personnel braved hostile weather and difficult terrain for the third day to look for signs of life under the huge mound of debris in the village flattened by the fury of nature, according to PTI.

According to the District Collector Control Room, till now, 63 people including 25 men, 28 women and 10 children have been killed in the landslide while eight injured persons have been rescued and are being treated at nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a financial aid of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of each of the victims.

Officials in the Chief Minister’s office said the assistance would be provided from the CM Relief fund. Free medical treatment will be given to the injured and proper rehabilitation of the village will be done on priority, they said.

9.51 am: Death toll hits 50, search operations continue 

The toll in a landslide disaster in Maharashtra’s Malin village touched 50, with another 22 injured, an official said in Pune on Friday. “So far we have recovered 50 bodies. The relief and rescue work continues on a war-footing,” Pune Collector Saurabh Rao, who is monitoring the situation round-the-clock, told IANS.

The village was entirely swept under a landslide on Wednesday. It has also come to light that around two dozen people were sleeping on a platform of the village temple premises in Malin and they may have been washed away in the adjacent river.

End of updates for 31 July

2.00 pm: Families of victims to get Rs 2 lakh compensation, says Rajnath

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the government will provide a Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the victims from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

“Continuous rainfall is creating trouble but officials are working extremely hard on rescue operations,” Singh said.

12:46 pm: Death toll climbs to 30, rescue operations face hurdles

The death toll for the landslide has risen to 30 as two more bodies were recovered during the rescue operations, according to TimesNOW.

TV reports said that the rescue operations are currently facing a lot of hurdles at the site. Trucks carrying material for the rescue operations are stuck at the site due to the bad terrain caused by adverse weather conditions.

Ambulances are also stuck on the road to the Malin village because of rains. Search dogs are present at the site for rescue.

12:35 pm: Victims were in sleeping position when tragedy struck

The victims trapped in the landslide were sleeping when the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Moreover, Saurav Roy, Pune district collector said the chances of survival of those trapped under the debris were very slim. “The homes are completely buried under the debris so much so that the land now looks like an elevated plain. The portion of the hill fell from a height of 17-18 feet on these homes,” he said.

He also added that it would take two or three days for rescue operations to be completed.

12:23 pm: Only after a complete probe will we know the cause, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh gave a statement on the tragedy after a 45-minute survey of the area.

“Only after a complete probe we will know what the cause of the landslide was”, said the Home Minister.

Rescue operations are underway at the site. “Such an unfortunate incident has never happened in the area earlier. It has been heavily raining in the region since the past one week. The district administration should have visited the place and should have taken precautionary measures,” Shiv Sena MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, the locally elected representative, had said.

12:10 pm: Death toll climbs to 28, Sharad Pawar to visit site

The death toll for the landslide has risen to 28, with rescue operations still underway amid adverse weather conditions, according to TimesNOW.

TV reports said that rescue operations could take days because of bad condition of the terrain due to heavy rains. Emergency medical services have been launched at the site.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is also expected to visit the site.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh is currently surveying the site. He is accompanied by Vinod Tawde, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

10.35 am: Rajnath Singh arrives at site

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived at Malin village, which was completely buried under a landslide last morning.

Singh’s visit comes amid frenetic rescue efforts by NDRF personnel who are trying to search for any possible survivors among the 129 people who are still believed to be trapped amid the debris.

Armed with maps of the village so that they know where the houses are, NDRF personnel have said that it is difficult going due to bad weather and heavy mud.

9.00 am: NDRF rescue 8 people from under debris

The NDRF have rescued 8 people from under the debris of a landslide that has buried Malin village in Pune.

Bad weather is a concern, and NDRF officials said that they are using a map of the village to identify where houses are located so that they can search for survivors and bodies.

Two unmanned arial vehicles are also being used for surveillance. The entire area has been barricaded with no one being allowed near the landslide area. A CNN-IBN reporter said that one particular difficulty was the fact that the debris was mostly wet soil which was difficult to move.

8.00 am: NDRF struggles to find survivors amid bad weather

NDRF personnel are battling terrible weather in a bid to find survivors among around 200 people who are feared trapped under a landslide that completely decimated the village of Malin in Pune.

A team of 400 NDRF personnel are searching for survivors and bodies in the mud-and-rock debris battling worsening weather. Crowds have gathered at the spot and villagers could be seen moving fallen trees and rocks with bare hands to assist NDRF personnel in rescue efforts.

Large earth-moving machinery have been pressed into service but the rescuers are moving slowly to avoid causing harm to the possible survivors, Pune collector Saurav Rao said, adding the operation to clear the rubble was on.

Scores of JCBs, dumpers and ambulances have been pressed into service to clear the rubble and shift the dead and survivors to hospitals, Rao said.

7.45 am: Death toll from landslide now at 25

The death toll from the Pune landslide has now risen to 25, with officials warning that the toll is likely to rise further. District Collector Saurabh Rao said six people had been extricated from the rubble and another 14 were reported injured.

The Times of India spoke to villagers, who said that they had moved there after their land had been taken over for construction of the Dimbhe dam:

“Most houses have been swept away,” said Rajendra Rakshe, resident of a village nearby. However, many of Malin’s locals have got jobs in Pune and Mumbai and survived because they were away, he said.

“Everything on the mountain came down,” said Suresh Jadhav, a district official.

7.00 am: Rajnath Singh to visit Pune village today

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Malin village in the Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district today, where over 200 people are believed to be trapped under a landslide that swept away over 50 houses and has already killed 25 people. Officials have said that the death toll is likely to rise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy and asked Singh to rush to Pune to take stock of the situation.

“Loss of lives in landslide in Pune dist. is saddening. Spoke to Rajnath ji and he would be travelling to Pune to take stock of the situation,” the Prime Minister tweeted.