Maharashtra rains: 4 dead, at least 100 feared trapped after landslide in Raigad
Four persons were killed after a landslide in Maharashtra`s Raigad district, an official told news agency PTI on Thursday.
NDRF teams have rushed to the site amid reports of at least 100 persons feared to be trapped, the official said.
The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil, the official told PTI.
Over 20 persons injured in the landslide have been admitted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai, the official said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has rushed to the village, another official told PTI.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra education department on Wednesday asked its officials in Thane, Palghar and Raigad to declare a holiday for educational institutions only after proper discussion with district collectors.
The direction came on a day when the state government declared a holiday for all schools in four districts for Thursday (July 20) amid a heavy rainfall warning in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Sandeep Sangave, Deputy Director of Education (Mumbai division), in an order said he has asked department officers, education inspectors and others concerned to announce holiday based on local conditions.
A decision on declaring holidays should be taken after discussing the issue with respective district collectors, he said in the order.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared a holiday for all schools in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts for Thursday amid a heavy rainfall warning in the MMR.
The metropolis and its three adjoining districts were lashed by heavy showers overnight and throughout the day on Wednesday.
Heavy rains lashed parts of Mumbai amid an orange alert on Wednesday, leading to disruption of local train services beyond Kalyan in the adjoining Thane district, diversion of some express trains and cancellation of a few services between Mumbai and Pune.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed though Mumbai has 110 low-lying areas there was no waterlogging in the city and traffic remained smooth.
The chief minister visited the disaster management cell in Mantralaya to review the flood situation in the state and directed officials to be on alert mode.
He was apprised of floods due to heavy rains in some areas in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhdurg, Pune, Satara and Gadchiroli districts.
(With inputs from PTI)