Pune, Jul 6: Two persons were killed while a search was underway for other missing family members after their house was buried in a landslide following heavy rains in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Monday, officials said.
The incident occurred at Patan village in Maval tehsil.
Another person died after being swept away on a flooded road in Khed tehsil, the officials said.
Three members of a family — Nandu Tikone, Mauli Tikone and Anita Nandu Tikone — were trapped after their house was buried under debris when a landslide struck the village in the early hours, police said.
While the police and district administration stated there were three persons inside the house when the incident took place, the NDRF said four to five persons were trapped under the debris.
“The bodies of two persons have been recovered from the debris, and the search is underway for the other missing persons,” an NDRF official said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Lonavala division) Gajanan Tompe said three landslides occurred in the remote village following heavy rainfall.
“In one of the incidents, a house was buried under the debris after a portion of Visapur fort slid down in the early hours of Monday. Three people were inside the house when the landslide occurred in the early hours of Monday,” he said.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and local groups were carrying out the search and rescue operation, officials added.
In a related development, an NDRF team rescued 37 passengers stranded in a private bus after waterlogging near Ghorawadi railway station in Maval tehsil, another official said.
Collector Jitendra Dudi one person died after being swept away while riding a two-wheeler on a flooded road in Khed tehsil, and the body has been recovered.
He said 23 revenue circles in the district recorded more than 65 mm of rainfall, while some places received over 200 mm during the last 48 hours.
“Due to the heavy rainfall, landslides have occurred at several places. Some roads were temporarily closed, while waterlogging created a mini-flood-like situation in certain areas,” he said.
Coordinated efforts by the revenue, police, public works and forest departments were underway to clear blocked roads and restore normalcy, the collector said.
“Whenever roads are blocked or landslides occur, personnel from the departments concerned immediately reach the spot and take measures to reopen the roads,” he said.
The collector said three persons were trapped after a landslide buried a house at Patan village in Maval tehsil.
“An NDRF team has reached the spot and rescue operations are underway,” he said.
Several people stranded at different locations were rescued with the help of teams from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), NDRF and the Army, he said.
“In Lonavala, a team from INS Shivaji assisted in rescue operations in the morning. People stranded at various locations have been evacuated safely,” he said.
Some trains had also halted in the Lonavala area due to the weather conditions, and passengers were safely evacuated, Dudi said.
The continuous rainfall required round-the-clock coordination among all agencies, he stressed.
Referring to the India Meteorological Department’s weather warnings, Dudi said schools across Pune district were closed on Monday following the ‘red’ alert for heavy rains.
“A decision on whether schools will remain closed tomorrow will be taken this evening after reviewing the latest weather forecast,” he said.
Appealing to residents to remain cautious, Dudi said, “A red alert is in force today, and an orange alert has been issued for tomorrow. Citizens should avoid venturing out unless necessary, take precautions and cooperate with the administration. We are providing all possible assistance wherever required.” (PTI)
