Collector proposes state government proclaim 57 missing individuals dead at Irshalwadi

ALIBAG: The collector has sent a recommendation to the state government to declare 57 missing people dead, raising the possibility that the death toll from the Irshalwadi landslip in Maharashtra’s Raigad district would rise, an official said on Tuesday.

On Sunday, 27 remains were removed from the hamlet perched on a hill before the rescue effort was abandoned.

The recommendation to declare the 57 missing people dead was given to the state government on Monday, according to Collector Yogesh Mhase.

If the request is approved by the government, 84 people will have died in the landslip that struck Irshalwadi on July 19.

The settlement, which is a famous trekking destination and is overshadowed by Irshalgad fort, lacks a pucca road, making it difficult to mobilise earthmovers and excavators, according to officials. As a result, the search and rescue operation had to be conducted manually until being called off.

Authorities have declared 31 missing persons dead, bringing the death toll to 87 days after a disastrous landslip struck the town of Taliye in the district two years prior.

In Mahad taluka in 2005, the Raigad district saw its first landslip.

According to officials, since then, approximately 350 individuals have perished in similar accidents, including the 27 fatalities at Irshalwadi.

Experts conducted a survey after the 2005 landslip and discovered that 84 settlements were at risk.

According to an official, after a similar assessment was done in 2021, there were 103 more communities that were at risk of landslides.

According to the official, there are currently 135 indigenous hamlets in the district without access to roads, electricity, drinkable water, or medical facilities.