Rescue operation at Irshalwadi called off

Speaking to the media, Raigad guardian minister Uday Samant said, “The last body discovered on Saturday was in bad condition. The doctors and NDRF told us that now the bodies are not likely to be in one piece. They briefed the collector, and hence a decision was taken

Mumbai: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) called off the post-landslide rescue operation at Irshalwadi after a meeting of top Raigad district officers took a decision to this effect on Sunday. While 27 bodies were recovered from the mountain of mud, around 57 people are still missing.

Mumbai, India - July 20, 2023: rescue operations are going on where people trapped under rubble after landslide in Khalapur Irshalwadi Village in Raigad, Maharashtra, India, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Speaking to the media, Raigad guardian minister Uday Samant said, “The last body discovered on Saturday was in bad condition. The doctors and NDRF told us that now the bodies are not likely to be in one piece. They briefed the collector, and hence a decision was taken.”

Chief minister Eknath Shinde had spoken to union home minister Amit Shah about getting a defence helicopter to ferry the excavators. But this was never executed due to extremely poor weather, on account of which the NDRF would be forced to quit operations every evening.

Raigad collector Yogesh Mhase said that in the 96 hours since the landslide, victims had been under five to 10 feet of mud. “The last body recovered on Saturday was highly decomposed, and the rescuers were dredging mutilated body parts,” he said. “The NDRF also told us that not much can be retrieved.”

Mhase said that the rescuers had been re-burying victims who were found dead. “It is not possible to find anyone still living in these circumstances,” he said. “So we had a meeting and made a conscious decision to call off the operation from Sunday evening. Even the relatives of the deceased cannot bear to see their loved ones in such a mutilated condition.” Mhase said that apart from humans, there were remains of cattle and livestock at the site.

The collector said that 27 bodies of victims had been recovered while 144 others had been accounted for and identified as safe. Fifty-seven persons have been declared missing. Asked how much the kin of the latter would be entitled to by way of compensation, Mhase said he was checking the legal provisions before the final formalities.

CM Eknath Shinde has already announced that CIDCO will construct houses for the landslide-affected. The Raigad district administration has zeroed in on a plot for resettlement but the locals are reportedly not in agreement. “We will take a final decision on a site shortly,” said Mhase.

A temporary settlement is being set up for those who lost their houses, and as per CM Shinde’s directions, various agencies have given around 45 container homes towards this. Mhase has provided the locals with a water connection, electricity connection, rations and blankets, and is organising footwear for them. Samant declared that the children who have been orphaned will be taken care of by the Dr Shrikant Shinde Foundation.

On Thursday, CM Shinde and many ministers camped at the site. On Saturday, Shiv Sena UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray visited, while on Sunday, union minister of state Ramdas Athawale landed up. The tourism by the political leaders made relief operations difficult.