Rescue teams, in the first two days of search operations, have recovered the bodies of 27 people who died in the landslide that occurred on Wednesday night in the village of Ershalwadi, located about 80 kilometers from Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.
Today, the state government and the National Relief Agency have decided to end their search operations, as they realize that there is no hope of finding survivors, with 78 people still missing, said Deepak Avadh, head of the National Disaster Response Force.
Officials said that at least 17 of the village’s 48 homes were completely or partially buried under the rubble.
The Press Trust of India news agency reported that four children were among the dead, adding that 75 people were rescued alive, and four of them were taken to hospital.
Record monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people in northern India in the past three weeks, officials said, as the force of the waters caused bridges and roads to collapse and homes to collapse.
India regularly experiences severe floods during the monsoon season between June and September, which scientists say has become more volatile due to climate change, leading to frequent landslides and flash floods.
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