(New Delhi) The death toll from a gigantic landslide in the state of Maharashtra, in central western India, increased to 27 dead on Sunday and at least 50 people are still missing, according to the authorities.
On Thursday, monsoon rains triggered a landslide in a village in Raigad district, a hilly and forested area about 100 kilometers from Mumbai.
“We have counted 27 bodies so far, and between 50 and 60 people are still missing, but there are many problems with the rescue work at the site,” local official Yogesh Mhase told AFP on Sunday.
A previous report reported at least sixteen dead.
Mr Mhase said the isolated hamlet was about five kilometers from the nearest road.
“No heavy equipment can reach this site, we only have small machines and most of the work has to be done manually,” Mhase added.
“The heavy rains that have not stopped in the region also make the operation much more difficult,” he further lamented, saying he was not optimistic about the likelihood of finding any more survivors on the fourth day of the ongoing rescue operation.
According to local media, several families were killed.
Since the start of the monsoon in India in early June, floods and landslides have killed dozens of people in the country. Experts believe that climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events around the world.