5 dead, 2 injured in landslide in Thane

Five people from a family, including a three-year-old girl, died and two others were injured after their house was crushed under a landslide on Monday morning

Five people from a family, including a three-year-old girl, died and two others were injured after their house was crushed under a landslide on Monday morning.

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The deceased have been identified as Prabhu Sudam Yadav, 45; his wife Vidhavatidev, 40; and their children Ravikisan, 12; Simaran, 10, and Sandhya, 3, while the injured were identified as Achal, 18, and Preeti, 5.

According to the locals, the incident occurred around 11.30am on Monday at Durga Chawl in Gholai Nagar, Kalwa. Residents said that they heard a loud noise and came running out of their houses fearing the worst as the rain had been incessantly pouring since Sunday.

“We ran out and turned back to check out what had happened only to see that the house of the Yadav family had completely been crushed under the mud. Our chawl is located at the foot of a hill with all the houses being in a single line. The Yadav residence was directly in the path of the mud that came crashing down when the landslide occurred,” Gulabchand Jaiswal, a tailor who stays two houses away from the Yadavs, said.

The residents immediately called the fire brigade, and personnel from the Kalwa police station, fire brigade, Thane Disaster Response Force and the Regional Disaster Management Cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation were rushed to the spot. One rescue vehicle, one fire tender and two ambulances were pressed into service, a civic official said.

“A total of seven people were stuck under the debris of the collapsed house, of which five died on the spot and two others were rescued in an injured condition. The bodies as well as the injured were taken to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa,” an RDMC official said.

“We are scared to go back home after the incident. I have already started trying to find at least a temporary place for us to stay as the rain is showing no signs of letting up any time soon,” Jaiswal said.

The Kalwa police have registered Accidental Death Reports in connection with the deaths of the five victims and are conducting further inquiries into the matter.

Meanwhile, Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde visited the two survivors at the hospital. He also announced compensation of ₹5 lakh for the survivors and said their medical expenses will be borne by the state. Shinde instructed TMC to immediately relocate residents at-risk areas to safer locations instead of just issuing them notices, in light of the ongoing monsoon season.