Maharashtra rain fury: 42 people die after landslides in state

At least 42 people have died in rainrelated incidents in Maharashtra 36 of them in a landslide in coastal Raigad district while 10 persons were feared trapped after a landslide in Ratnagiri district as heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in Maharashtra where residents are being evacuated from hilly regions in Konkan officials said on FridayEleven people on board a bus had a narrow escape as they were rescued just before the vehicle got washed away into a river in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra early on Friday police saidA team of NDRF has reached Mahad around 160 km from Mumbai and another will reach there soon the official said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is reviewing the situation he addedMaharashtraRains UPDATE23721ChiplunFloods Chiplun townRatnagiriNDRF WORKING NONSTOPRescued more than 150 persFocus now Chiplun low areasLike MirjoleOps continuesHMOIndia BhallaAjay26 PIBHomeAffairs PIBMumbai ANI PTI_News pictwittercomz9jdOfEHo3mdash alphatalpha pralphadhalphan DG NDRF satyaprad1 July 23 2021Exceptionally heavy rainfall recorded at Mahabaleshwar and Navaja in Satara district of Maharashtra over the last two days caused flooding in parts of the adjoining coastal region of the state particularly Ratnagiri and Raigad districts officials saidIn Ratnagiri the Indian Air Forces Mi17 helicopters rescued two persons stranded in inundated areas on FridayThe Air Force has kept its two Mi17V5 and two Mi17 helicopters ready for rescue operations in the region which has been battered by heavy rains said a defence press releaseThe Western Naval Command has also deployed seven rescue teams along with its helicopters in Ratnagiri and the adjoining Raigad district it saidThe Navys Flood Rescue Teams are equipped with Gemini rubber boats loud hailers firstaid kits life jackets and life buoys and include its specialist divers Additional Flood Rescue Teams are in Mumbai ready for quick deployment if needed the release saidSeveral places in these two districts in the Konkan region are inundated and the government machinery is taking steps to move the stranded people to safetyKS Hosalikar senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department IMD in Pune said that Mahabaleshwar a popular hill station in Satara received 483 mm rainfall in around 17 hours between 830 am on July 22 and 1 am on 23 July Before that during the 24hour period ending 830 am on July 22 the same weather station had recorded 461 mm rainfall there237Latest radar obs frm Mumbai 1130 amVery intense clouds r observed over parts of Raigad district amp adj areas Roha Bhira Matheran Shriwardhan Thane districtKalyanMdk SagarRatnagiri districtDapoliHarnai ChiplunSatara MWR Pune ghat areasWatch for IMD updates pl pictwittercomwogkHiY509mdash K S Hosalikar Hosalikar_KS July 23 20211240 noon 237Latest radar obs from Goa radar indicates mod to intense clouds over that areas including Kolhapur Satara Pune Parts of South Konkan too including Goa and down belowWatch for IMD updates pictwittercomUjRpk9jA27mdash K S Hosalikar Hosalikar_KS July 23 2021Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed grief over the loss of lives in the landslide and spoke to the Raigad collector about the flood situation on Mahad an official release said in Mumbai Rescue teams have begun evacuating stranded people using helicopters the release said Thackeray directed the district administration to expedite rescue operations and clearing of roadsThe water levels have receded but in hilly areas roads and bridges have been washed away Around 2000 food packets have been distributed to people in Mangaon in Raigad district the release said Thackeray has asked the authorities to ensure wellbeing of COVID19 patients undergoing treatment in various hospitals the release said Six persons were killed in rainrelated incidents in Satara district on Friday incluidng landslides while three persons were missing in floods said a senior official from the disaster management departmentTwo persons died in Jawali tehsil of Satara district and as many in Wai tehsil due to heavy rains and landslides In two separate incidents of landslide and flash floods one woman and a man died in Patan tehsil of Satara district he said Landslides took place at Ambeghar and Mirgaon villages during Thursday night burying a total of eight houses said Ajay Kumar Bansal Superintendent of Police Satara rural The incidents followed a major landslide in the coastal Raigad district on Thursday evening Some people have been rescued the SP saidAt Ambeghar 13 or 14 people in four houses are feared trapped while at Mirgaon three houses were affected with 8 to 10 people inside said Bansal adding that rescue work is underway Due to incessant rains the roads leading to the two villages are either blocked or inundated making it difficult to bring heavy machines for rescue work the SP saidAt least 10 persons were feared trapped in a landslide in Ratnagiri district a senior official said In a separate incident the body of a man was recovered in Chiplun city after the flood water receded to some extent he saidParts of Ratnagiri district have been reeling under floods caused due to heavy rains over the last few days with major rivers in the district flowing above the danger mark At least 10 people are feared trapped under the debris after a landslide in the district The rescue team has reached the spot The local residents who rushed to safety alerted the police about it the official said However details about the incident including its exact location and time are yet to be knownThe official said establishing contact has become difficult due to the poor mobile network and it is posing hurdles in reaching out to the affected people and responding to their SOS callsHe said that the process to identify the body that was found in Chiplun was on Maharashtra minister Uday Samant who reached Chiplun late Thursday night said Water has receded from several parts of Chiplun city now But it is true that the water level was very high and it had crossed the 2005 deluge markEleven people on board a bus had a narrow escape as they were rescued just before the vehicle got washed away into a river in Kolhapur district police saidThe incident occurred around 230 am at Pangire village in Bhudargad tehsil when the bus driver despite being asked by the police and the PWD personnel not to go ahead drove the vehicle over a bridge even as the water of the Chikodi river was flowing above it they saidThe water was flowing with strong force due to which the bus fell off the bridge and got stuck in water before being swept away by the strong currents he saidTraffic on the MumbaiBengaluru national highway got disrupted on Friday after a stretch of road in Belgaum district of Karnataka got inundated prompting the police in Maharashtras Kolhapur to stop the vehicles going to the neighbouring state as a safety measure officials saidRains continued to lash parts of Kolhapur due to which the Panchganga river in the district is flowing above the danger mark they said Talking about the traffic situation on the MumbaiBengaluru highway Kolhapurs district superintendent of police Shailesh Balkawde said Ahead of Kagal in Kolhapur a stretch of road near a village in Belgaum district of Karnataka has got inundated due to rainwater on Friday Therefore we have stopped the flow of traffic going towards the neighbouring state from the Kolhapur sideAn official from the Kolhapur district disaster management cell said the water level of the Panchganga river continues to rise Till 9 am on Friday the water level of the river at the Rajaram weir reached 481 feet It is well above the danger mark of 43 feet he said A total of 114 bunds have gone under water he addedOfficials of the district administration had said on Thursday said that as many as 47 villages in Kolhapur were cut off after roads leading to them were submerged in water due to heavy rains and 965 families were shifted to safer placesAs the state reeled under monsoon fury Chief Minister Thackeray visited the disaster management authority control room in Mantralaya in south Mumbai and took stock of the situation arising out of downpour and flooding in Konkan and western Maharashtra Thackeray said people residing in hilly and landslideprone areas of the rainravaged Konkan region are being evacuated and expressed grief over the loss of lives in a landslide in Raigad districtHe appealed to people to cooperate with the local administration in the evacuation process in vulnerable areas in the coastal region a statement from the Chief Ministers Office CMO said Thackeray asked people to be alert in the backdrop of the IMD forecasting heavy rains in the next two days in several parts of the stateHe said the local administration should work in coordination for smooth relief and rescue operations in the raindevastated areas Heavy rains since the last two days have caused massive floods in Raigad Ratnagiri Palghar Thane Sindhudurg Kolhapur Sangli and Satara districts Due to discharge of water from the Koyna dam in western Maharashtra an alert has been sounded in Sangli and Kolhapur districtsThe chief minister asked the authorities to ensure distribution of food water medicines and clothes to the people displaced by floods and heavy rains the statement said He said the floodaffected districts of western Maharashtra top the list of coronavirus cases and rescue operations there should be done by adhering to Covid19 protocols especially use of face masksAs many as 14 NDRF teams have been deployed in the affected areas the chief minister said He said 500 people have been rescued in Chiplun in Ratnagiri district and four relief centres have become operational in the coastal town around 250km from Mumbai Also 22 people stranded on the KolhapurPanhala road due to incessant rains have been rescued the CM addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever