17 killed, 160 trapped in landslide

17 killed, 160 trapped in landslide
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17 killed, 160 trapped in landslide, At least 17 people were killed and over 160 remain trapped under a hillock which crashed on a village near Pune early on Wednesday, district officials said. With barely six structures, including the village panchayat office, left intact, the bustling Malin village of about 50 homes, about 120 km from here, has been wiped off the state\'s map.

Pune: At least 17 people were killed and over 160 remain trapped under a hillock which crashed on a village near Pune early on Wednesday, district officials said. With barely six structures, including the village panchayat office, left intact, the bustling Malin village of about 50 homes, about 120 km from here, has been wiped off the state's map. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told media persons that with about 160 people remaining trapped, the toll can go up.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim at the site of a landslide in Malin village in Pune district on  Wednesday. Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that  buried a remote village in western India. (PTI)

Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar besides cabinet colleagues Harshvardhan Patil and Madhukarro Pichad visited the accident spot. A 300-strong team comprising National Disaster Response Force, Maharashtra Disaster Response Force, police, villagers and political activists braved inclement weather, searching for people trapped under stones, boulders and sticky mud. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the tragedy.

Entire village wiped out in landslide

  • Over 160 feared trapped in Malin village as 50 houses buried after torrential rains
  • Entire hillside came crashing down. Hospitals ready to tackle potentially massive crisis

Pune: Heavy rains triggered a landslide at a village near Pune in Maharashtra on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and leaving up to 160 feared trapped under debris.

Over 50 houses were buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rains at Malin village in Pune district, Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Rescue workers struggled to cut through mud and rocks to reach the people, but heavy rains and a difficult terrain in Malin village hampered their efforts. Authorities have sent at least 30 ambulances and other heavy machinery to the village, which is about 20 km from the nearest medical facility and 30 km from Pune.

"Seventeen bodies have been recovered so far," said Tripti Parule, a spokeswoman for the National Disaster Management Authority, in an email to AFP.

"Two persons alive have been rescued. According to the district officials 150-200 (are) feared trapped," she said.

An official at the chief minister’s office, however, said five people had died in the landslide, but the number could mount once the rescue operations were over.

“The exact number of casualties is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely,” Pune district collector Saurav Rao said. Heavy monsoon rains have lashed hills in the area the past few days, causing rocks and mud to loosen and tumble down on 42-50 villages houses early Wednesday when people were sleeping inside.

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