The incessant heavy rains in Maharashtra have created havoc. While on the one hand, the search operation is going on at the landslide site in Irshalwadi village of Raigad district. So far nothing has been known about 119 villagers. On the other hand, flood like situation has arisen in 12 villages of Nanded district. Around 1,000 people of Biloli tehsil have been shifted to safer places. So far NDRF has recovered 21 bodies from here. These include five bodies of today and 16 bodies of yesterday.

Rescue and search operations resumed on Friday morning in Irshalwadi village of Maharashtra's Raigad district. During this, bodies of five people have been recovered, after which the death toll due to landslide has increased to 21. Also, there is a possibility of many people getting trapped in it. The NDRF personnel had to stop their search and rescue operation at the landslide site on Thursday evening due to bad weather.

The landslide occurred at around 11 pm on Wednesday night in the tribal village located on a hill slope under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, about 80 km from Mumbai. Of the total 228 residents of the village, bodies of 21 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been traced, the official said. However, a total of 119 villagers are yet to be traced.

It is being said that those who have not yet been traced include those who had gone out of the village to attend a wedding or for paddy transplanting work. Officials said that out of about 50 houses in the village, 17 were razed to the ground due to the landslide.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with teams of Raigad police and local officials launched operations in the remote village on the second day, the official said. Raigarh Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge said the search operation began at 6.30 am.

Search and rescue personnel at the scene are facing difficulties due to the difficult hilly terrain of the area. It takes about one and half hour to reach Irshalwadi from the hilly area which is not paved. The official said that since the village does not have a metalled road, earthmoving machines and excavators cannot be easily moved and hence the work is being done manually.

Around 1,000 people of Biloli tehsil in Maharashtra's Nanded district have been shifted to safer places. Due to heavy rains, a flood-like situation has arisen in 12 villages here. Rescue teams comprising revenue department personnel and others launched the rescue operation from Thursday evening which continued till late night, a district administration official said.

About 1,000 residents of 12 villages, including Harnali, Machnur, Biloli, Golegaon, Arali, Kasarali, Belkoni, Kundalwadi and Ganjgaon, were moved to a safer place. After the rains, the water level suddenly increased in these villages, causing a flood-like situation.

He told that people have been shifted to safer places due to water entering the settlements and fields of these villages. The rescued people have been given temporary shelter in nearby Zilla Parishad-run schools or houses located in higher areas. At the same time, many local people also contributed to the rescue operation.

At the same time, notices have been issued to about 140 families occupying the Kachor-Netivali hill in Thane district of Maharashtra to vacate the area. The officer has informed about this. He said the notices have been issued in view of Wednesday night's landslide at Irshalwadi in neighboring Raigad district.

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation official said that in the last 30 years the encroachers have dug up the hill at many places. Due to which this area has been made vulnerable to landslides.

Maharashtra government's urban planning agency City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has sent its fire brigade personnel and 600 laborers for rescue work in the landslide-hit Irshalwadi village.