Irshalwadi landslide: Rescue work suspended due to heavy rain

Rescue workers carry out search operations at the site

The death toll in the Irshalwadi landslide reached 27 on Saturday. While search operations continued through the day, heavy rainfall and lack of electricity in the village forced authorities to call off rescue work by 6.30 pm.

It is still unclear whether rescue operation will resume on Sunday. "No survivors were found on Saturday. We will be having a meeting with the district and state administration, after which we will decide whether to continue search and rescue operations," said an official from the NDRF. The perilous mountain slopes are also making it difficult for rescue workers to navigate the stretch.

Yogesh Mhaske, collector of the Raigad district, called it an "emotionally challenging decision" to make. "In previous operations, people have been rescued after several days. We are committed to exploring all possibilities here as well, despite facing severe challenges in conducting rescue work due to the heavy rain," he said, adding, "Villagers are placing a lot of hope in us. They want us to at least recover the bodies of their relatives, so they can perform their last rites."

6.30
Time in the evening when search ops were suspended