IRSHALWADI, India, July 20 (Reuters) - The death toll from a massive landslide in western India rose to 16 late on Thursday, as rescue operations were suspended with around 100 people still feared trapped, officials said.
Rescue workers recovered 16 bodies before night fell and local authorities advised they suspend the search, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Atul Karwal, told Reuters.
Rescuers searched for over 12 hours in heavy rains and fog, dodging large boulders that tumbled down the mountain slope, a Reuters witness and local media reported.
[1/3]Members of rescue teams prepare graves to bury the victims after a landslide following heavy rains in Raigad district in the western state of Maharashtra, India, July 20, 2023.
MORE RAIN COMINGA landslide in a nearby village killed more than 80 people two years ago.
Persons:
Atul Karwal, Devendra Fadnavis, Francis Mascarenhas, Singh, Mahal, Mahatma Gandhi, Francis Mascerenhas, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Rajendra Jadhav, Sumit Khanna, Robert Birsel
Organizations:
Response Force, Reuters, REUTERS, Indian Express, India Meteorological Department, Thomson
Locations:
IRSHALWADI, India, Irshalwadi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Raigad district, Gujarat, New Delhi, Red, Rajghat