Raigad Hillslide Rescue Operations Called Off, Toll at 27

The multi-agency search and rescue operations for the victims of the July 19 Irshalwadi hillslide tragedy site in Maharashtra's Raigad has been called off as the possibility of locating any more survivors is ruled out, officials said on Sunday.

The decision to call off the operation was taken after discussions among the different agencies, the Raigad district administration and the local villagers.

So far, in the past four days, a total of 27 bodies have been retrieved from the debris.

Besides, another 57 villagers persons are reported missing and are presumed dead on the slopes of the hill where their homes were destroyed in the hillslide.

The Irshalwadi village was located in the slopes of Irshalgad hills and was partly buried in the crash of massive boulders and sludge following torrential rains in the region, around 11.30 p.m. on July 19.

"As per the records, there were a total of 43 dwellings with 228 residents. We have recovered 27 bodies while 57 are missing. There are around 144 persons staying in the relief camp,” Raigad Guardian Minister Uday Samant told reporters on Sunday after visiting the site.

Of these 144 persons, 21 persons were rescued alive while the rest 123 came down on their own the morning after the hillslide.

After strenuous manual efforts of four days, teams of NDRF and the SDRF along with sniffer dog squads, have ruled out the possibility of locating any more survivors in the debris.

Many of the villagers who survived the ordeal are camped at the Panchayatan Temple as they await rehabilitation. The others are housed in temporary accommodations in shipping containers which have basic amenities.

Samant also assured that permanent rehabilitation for the tribals would be done at the earliest.

"We will speak to the affected villagers, the local representatives and it would be done at the earliest after considering their suggestions," he said.

Among the bodies that were dug out include 12 men, 10 women and four children, while one corpse has not been identified as yet.