Pune Landslide Buries Houses, Rescue Underway; Mumbai Batters Heavy Rains
A landslide struck a remote village in Maharashtra's Pune district early Monday, burying around five houses and leaving three members of a family feared trapped under the debris, officials said.
The incident occurred in Patan village in Maval taluka following heavy rainfall. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Lonavala division) Gajanan Tompe told PTI that a house was buried in one of three landslides in the area. “It is suspected that three persons were inside the house when the landslide occurred,” he said.
Authorities immediately alerted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which dispatched a 30-member team from its 5th Battalion based in Pune to the site. Rescue efforts are ongoing.
Traffic movement was severely affected. The Old Pune-Mumbai Highway has been completely closed, and the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway (Pune-Mumbai Expressway) has been shut as a precautionary measure while clearance and rescue operations continue.
Meanwhile, Mumbai and its suburbs have been experiencing continuous heavy rain, disrupting normal life. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a weather alert warning of intense showers, strong winds, and high tides. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'red' alert for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain with gusty winds of 60-70 kmph.
Rail services have been affected due to waterlogging and landslides. Authorities have advised against travel between Mumbai and Pune until further notice. A high tide of 4.08 metres is expected at 3:56 pm on Monday, followed by another high tide of 3.44 metres at 4:38 am Tuesday.
In rain-related incidents across Mumbai, two people died in separate tree collapses over the past two days. On June 30, an 11-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a moving school bus. Additionally, six people lost their lives after a chawl collapsed in the Mankhurd area on Sunday.
