India landslide: dozens feared trapped
Heavy monsoon rains triggered a landslide in India on Wednesday, burying up to 150 in a village around 37 miles from the western city of Pune in Maharashtra.
WEDNESDAY 30 JULY 2014
According to the disaster force's deputy inspector general of operations, seven teams of 42 rescue workers were being sent to help.
The first batch of emergency workers arrived at the scene, but rain, mud and poor communications hampered efforts to rescue those believed to be missing.
Sandeep Rai Rathore, inspector general of the national disaster force, said: "The area is quite a difficult terrain."
He added that rescuers were trying to determine how many people were caught in the landslide, and that the figure could be up to 150.
Whilst providing water that is vital for agriculture, India's rainy season often brings disaster.
Intense monsoon rains occur annually in India and it is common for severe flooding and landslides to happen - especially in places with steep hillsides.
Unprecedented rain in June last year wreaked havoc across the Indian state of Uttarakhand, causing rivers and lakes to burst their banks, inundating towns and villages and killing thousands of people.
An environment ministry panel said in April that poorly managed hydro-power projects were partly to blame for those floods.
The first batch of emergency workers arrived at the scene, but rain, mud and poor communications hampered efforts to rescue those believed to be missing.
Sandeep Rai Rathore, inspector general of the national disaster force, said: "The area is quite a difficult terrain."
He added that rescuers were trying to determine how many people were caught in the landslide, and that the figure could be up to 150.
Whilst providing water that is vital for agriculture, India's rainy season often brings disaster.
Intense monsoon rains occur annually in India and it is common for severe flooding and landslides to happen - especially in places with steep hillsides.
Unprecedented rain in June last year wreaked havoc across the Indian state of Uttarakhand, causing rivers and lakes to burst their banks, inundating towns and villages and killing thousands of people.
An environment ministry panel said in April that poorly managed hydro-power projects were partly to blame for those floods.
