TDRF team carries out rescue work at Taliye village

A team of 13 personnel from the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), an emergency response organisation formed on the lines of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), has been sent to the landslide-affected Taliye village in Mahad

A team of 13 personnel from the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), an emergency response organisation formed on the lines of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), has been sent to the landslide-affected Taliye village in Mahad. By Saturday evening, the TDRF team had pulled out a total of eight dead bodies from underneath the debris. The deceased included three minors, including a seven month old baby boy.

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At least 42 people have died so far and 40 others are missing after a portion of a hillock came crashing down and buried 32 houses in the village. The NDRF has sent several teams to Taliye and search and rescue operations are currently under way.

The TDRF is a squad of 33 personnel working under the purview of the Thane Municipal Corporation to respond to emergencies in the Thane district and nearby areas. TMC officials said that the team of 13 personnel, including 12 rescue workers and a driver left in a minibus along with Thane Guardian Minister, Eknath Shinde, and Mayor Naresh Mhaske on Friday afternoon.

“The TDRF team reached Mahad at around 11pm on Friday and began their work early on Saturday morning. They have pulled out three dead bodies from under the rubble so far” Santosh Kadam, head of the TMC’s Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), said.

Kadam added that the decision to send only 13 personnel was taken because some manpower was needed on standby in Thane in case of any emergencies as Thane, too, has been lashed by incessant rain for the last few days.

Meanwhile, the TDRF team has several challenges to contend with. “There is no network at the site of the disaster, and hence, communication with the team is not continuous. Every once in a while, one of them has to come out of the village to find a network so that they can send updates to us. Besides, the sun has come out after several days of rain, which means the mud will start hardening even as the team is working,” Kadam said.

He added that the team will stay in Mahad for as long as it is deemed necessary.