Raigad landslide: Search ops called off, 31 missing to be declared dead

The Raigad district administration has stopped searches for 31 missing persons in the village of Taliye, which was hit by a massive landslide after heavy rains last week.

NDRF at the site of the landslide in Taliye village, Raigad district, Maharashtra (PTI photo)

The Raigad district administration on Monday stopped searches for 31 missing people in the village of Taliye, which was hit by a massive landslide after heavy rains last week.

So far, 53 people have died in the village and five have been injured, while 31 people are still missing and will be pronounced dead through due process, said district collector Nidhi Chaudhari.

The village in Mahad Taluka of Raigad in the Konkan region of Maharashtra witnessed the deadliest landslide after heavy rains last Thursday that razed several houses in the area.

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The collector said the decision to call in the search operations was made after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and civil protection forces of the state and neighboring Thane District sought an opinion.

“The rescue operations are officially over. We have withdrawn our teams from Taliye. The 31 missing persons will be declared dead according to a due process … Relatives of the missing persons have been demanding the cessation of operations since yesterday,” said the collector.

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Out of respect for the feelings of the survivors and the relatives of the missing, the search for the 31 missing persons has been officially suspended, she added.

Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited the village on Saturday and said that since landslides have proven deadly in many parts of the state, the government will develop a plan to permanently relocate people in hilly areas.

According to the state government, the death toll in the rainy Raigad district has reached 71, while 53 people are still missing.

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