Raigad landslide: From kids to the elderly, they pick up the pieces after families wiped out

A landslide struck the hamlet atop a hillock on the night of July 19, when most villagers were asleep. File pic/Satej Shinde

The July 19 landslide in Irsalwadi village has orphaned 12 children and snatched the entire families of four senior citizens. The loss has taken a toll on their mental health, said doctors sent for their care, adding that they are undergoing treatment for depression. Some of these children have not uttered a word or reacted to the news of their parents' deaths, they added.

The landslide wiped out an entire village on the night of July 19, when most villagers had gone to bed. The rescue personnel, despite numerous challenges, were able to pull out 27 bodies. However, they could not find the bodies of 57 residents of Irsalwadi village, in Khalapur taluka of Raigad district.

The girls, all minors, were at boarding school when the landslide buried their entire family (right) A 62-year-old holds the photos of her husband and son, whose bodies could not be retrieved

The orphaned children and a senior citizen mid-day spoke to are among those whose families are still buried deep beneath mud, boulders and debris of their own houses. As they struggle to deal with the sudden loss of their loved ones, the district administration is trying to help get them back on their feet.

At the camps set up for the rescued and displaced villagers, the district administration has set up a first-aid centre and deployed a team of 44 medical officers, doctors, nurses, compounders and ASHA Accredited Social Health Activists) workers. The temporary camp has been named Anganwadi village and it currently has 132 residents, said officials.

Thirteen-year-old twin sisters and their 15-year-old brother are the only survivors in their family

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Ashlesha Ovhal said, "We have currentlyidentified 12 children and four senior citizens who are suffering from depression due to the loss of their family in the landslide. Many of them are not interacting with others. They are not even talking about their pain." Bhagwan Yashvant Nirgude, supervisor of the first-aid centre, said, "We are holding counselling sessions for the children as well as the senior citizens between 9 am and 5 pm.

"We are also trying to help them find hobbies and interests. Some children have expressed their interest in stitching work, and we have promised them that we will provide them with the machines. Some children are interested in farming, for which we plan to provide them with education so that they can work smartly and independently," Nirgude added.

Orphaned twins, brother

Thirteen-year-old twin sisters are among those receiving treatment for depression. The girls, both Std VIII students, were in their boarding school, an institution for tribals in Chikhale village, when the landslide occurred. It was a Wednesday night. They used to visit home every weekend.

ASHA workers Pushpa Anil Prabalkar, Salini Nitin Durge and Sister Tejashree More, Dr Ashlesha Ovhal, supervisor Bhagwan Yashvant Nirgude are part of rehabilitation team

Their 15-year-old brother survived, as he and his friends were at the school in their hamlet, which was untouched by the landslide. "Only the three of us are alive now. We lost our entire family in the landslide, including our parents and two sisters. Their bodies have not been found," one of the sisters told mid-day.

Husband, son missing

A 62-year-old woman has not seen the bodies of her 65-year-old husband and their 25-year-old son since the landslide. She told mid-day that she had gone down the hillock to work in the rice field that day and stayed at her relative's in Nanivali village.

"Around 5 pm on July 19, I cooked dinner for my husband and my son and then went down to work on the farm. Due to heavy rain, I decided to stay at my relative's house. Around 11 pm, I received a call from a relative that a landslide had hit our village. All of us at Nanivali ran up the hillock to Irsalwadi, but everything had been buried under the rubble. The entire village was destroyed. I tried finding my husband and my son, but I couldn't even reach my home. Neither of them has been found," said the elderly woman, who is also being treated for depression.

Brother to take care of

With their parents missing since the landslide, a 20-year-old man now has his 16-year-old brother to take care of. Both of them are undergoing counselling. The younger brother has stopped speaking to others. "After dinner, I went to the school in Irsalwadi with my friends. We were playing games on our mobile phones when the landslide hit our homes. This school was the only structure that was not swallowed by the landslide. My younger brother was in boarding school. With our parents gone, only two of us are left in the family now."

Two brothers are the only ones alive after the deaths of their parents

Three young girls orphaned

Three sisters aged 4, 7, and 12 years are struggling to cope with the loss of their parents, grandfather, uncle and aunt. All three of them are being counselled at the shelter. "No one in our family is alive now. We were in school when we were informed about the landslide. When we reached our village, there was nothing. We were told that our parents, uncle, aunt and grandfather were trapped under the rubble and they died," said the 12-year-old girl.

57
No of villagers still missing