(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Out 160 people were thought to have been living in the dozens of damaged houses.
Women mourn a victim of the landslide in Malin village of Pune district in western Maharashtra state. — AP
Rescuers battled through heavy rains on Thursday in a desperate search for victims of a landslide in western India that buried dozens of homes with fears the death toll could reach 150.
Thirty people were confirmed dead and eight pulled alive from the mud and debris in Maharashtra state but with the rain and strong winds hampering rescue efforts hopes of finding any more survivors were fading.
“Miracles do happen we will keep looking but under current conditions it is very very bleak” said Alok Avasthy regional commandant of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who said about 160 people were thought to have been living in the dozens of damaged houses.
Relatives told of losing whole families after the hillside gave way early on Wednesday in a remote area of Pune district sending tonnes of earth and trees crashing onto a village below. “I lost my dad mum nephew my whole family. What will I do I have nothing left” inconsolable Usha Vilas Gavar 30 said close to the scene. The NDRF said eight survivors have so far been pulled from the site but rescue efforts were slow going with heavy machinery halted at one point on Thursday morning because of the rains.
Among the handful rescued were Pramila Lembe 25 and her three-month old baby Rudra who were recovering with no major injuries in hospital having been shielded by their home’s tin wall.
“I was breast-feeding the baby when I heard a loud thunder-like clap. I tried to run but the wall collapsed” Lembe said.
“I held the boy somehow. I tried to shout but heard no one” she added. The pair were found by rescuers about eight hours after the landslide. A mass cremation for the victims was expected later in the day. For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes Follow khaleejtimes -->
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