By Rashmita Patel
Over a 100 people have been killed when a landslide hit a small village in the Pune District of Maharashtra. Over 200 people were buried under rubble as they slept in the early hours of the morning when the disaster happened. The villagers who lived in hut houses were completely flattened and buried with debris and wet mud.
With India facing its monsoon season, rescuers found it difficult to get to the people due to heavy rain and strong winds. On the first day, 23 survivors were found alive, but now only dead bodies are being pulled out. The death toll has reached over 100. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are trying very hard to find as many people still buried under the rubble.
The youngest survivor is a 3 month old baby boy called Rudra. He was pulled out after rescuers heard him screaming under the debris. His mother was also found alive. Both escaped with very few injuries.
The chances of finding any more survivors seem unlikely with weather conditions making the soil sticky and the smell of decaying bodies unbearable. NDRF workers wore masks to keep the unpleasant smell from the decomposed bodies. Chemicals have been sprayed to stop the sudden outbreak of diseases.
Volunteers as well as family members have been holding masses of cremations and completing the relevant formalities for the bodies. Trucks have been arriving bringing piles of wood and kerosene needed for the pyres.
The government has stated that the next of kin of those killed would each receive Rs. 5 lakh as well as a further Rs. 2 lakhs from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. They would also receive a rehabilitation package which would allow them to repair their damaged homes and furnishings, as well as allow them to fulfill farming requirements so that they are be able to start their lives again.
Other villages
There are fears that other villages could also be hit by a landslide due to humans flattening and cutting the slopes and trees being cut down due to cultivate plots.
The Prime Minister has mourned the loss of lives at the village. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has stated that people living in dangerous areas where landslides are possible would have to be moved to stop such a disaster from happening again.
