Shillong, July 21: After a temporary halt, multiple agencies resumed the search and rescue operation on Friday for over 100 missing victims of the Raigad hillside tragedy.
The incident, which occurred before midnight on Wednesday, has claimed 16 lives so far, with 21 individuals rescued, but the fate of more than 100 people remains uncertain.
NDRF, SDRF, Fire Brigade, and local agencies are collaborating in the mission to reach the 550-meter Irshalgad Fort hill, where a portion collapsed, burying a part of the tribal hamlet Irshalwadi below.
As per IANS, the challenging weather conditions in the hilly areas have been hindering the rescue efforts, and even the proposed aerial operation by IAF helicopters could not take place on Thursday.
IMD has issued Red alerts for Raigad, Palghar, Thane, and Pune, and an Orange alert for Mumbai, Ratnagiri, and Satara on July 21, as intermittent rains persist in these districts for the fifth consecutive day.
The teams have improved communication arrangements with radio devices due to erratic mobile phone signals in the area. Despite the foggy and wet conditions, work has commenced on the remote and inaccessible hilly terrain.
Various heavy machinery, including cranes, JCBs, poclains, Bobcats, and debris removal trucks, have arrived from different locations but are yet to be deployed effectively.
Anxious relatives have spent the night at a safe distance from the devastated Irshalwadi village, hoping for the rescue teams to resume their efforts at daybreak.