Pune landslide: Toll rises to 23, rain hampers rescue efforts

PUNE: The death toll in the landslide at Malin village near here rose to 23 on Thursday morning even as rescue workers resumed operations, which were hampered during the night due to rain and poor visibility. As many as 44 houses were crushed in Malin village, situated in Ambegaon taluka, some 120km from the district headquarters here in western Maharashtra, by the massive landslide that occurred on Wednesday morning trapping about 160 people under the debris after large parts of a hillside collapsed on them. According to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials, 23 bodies have been recovered so far from under the debris by NDRF jawans, who also saved eight injured persons pulling them out alive. Intermittent rains and slushy terrain were affecting the rescue work, district officials said. PTI