Maharashtra : Death toll reached 112, around 100 missing

Rain in Maharashtra

The death toll in the devastation caused by heavy rains in Maharashtra has reached 112 and around 100 people are said to be missing. It is feared that the death toll may increase further. At present, the water level is receding as the rains have stopped and relief operations have gained momentum. Let us inform that due to the torrential rains, there was a flood like situation in the districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Pune etc.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday visited Taliye village in Raigad district to take stock of the relief and rescue operations. Many houses were buried here due to landslides. So far 42 bodies have been recovered from the rubble and search is on for 39 people.

Thackeray said that this is a big incident. The government will take steps to rehabilitate the victims and every affected person will be helped.

In a statement issued by the state government, 112 people have died, 99 are missing and 53 people have been injured. Relief teams have evacuated 1.5 lakh people to safer places. Relief camps have been set up at many places. The Thackeray government has released Rs 2 crore each from the State Disaster Response Fund for Ratnagiri and Raigad districts. Apart from this, 50-50 lakhs have been allocated for the rest of the affected districts immediately.

21 teams of Hristakrasn have been deployed in Thane, Palghar, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sangli districts, the statement said. Some more teams have also been called. Teams of Army, Air Force and Coast Guard are also engaged in relief work.

The state government informed that the towns of Chiplun and Khed in Ratnagiri district have been completely submerged due to release of water from Koyna and Koltewadi dams. Their contact has been cut off from other places and there is no electricity. Many of these places were flooded by 15-20 feet and people had to stand on the roof of their houses to save their lives. Now gradually the water level in these areas has started decreasing.

In Mumbai’s neighboring district of Raigad, the banks of the Savitri river breached and Mahad and Poladpur were flooded as the water level rose due to heavy rains. Malad has lost contact with other places. Many people are still trapped on the roofs of houses. There has been heavy damage due to landslides in Taliye village as well as Kevanale and Sakharsutarwadi villages of Poladpur taluka. 11 people have died in both these places.