Maha: Portion of Kavnai fort collapses amid rains in Nashik district; people living in vicinity asked to move to safer places

Kavnai fort. file photo/internet

A portion of Kavnai fort located on a hillock in Maharashtra's Nashik district collapsed amid rains on Friday and no casualty was reported in the incident, an official said. A video of the collapse at the fort in Igatpuri taluka this afternoon has surfaced on social media.

People living in vicinity of the fort have been asked to move to safer places in Kavnai village, the official said.

"Circle officers and tehsildars have been directed to remain alert in their concerned talukas," district collector Gangatharan D said, while appealing to people not to panic.

Located on a hill north of Kavnai village, the fort is 18 km from Igatpuri. The fort was built by Mughals and was ceded to the Peshwas by the Nizam under the terms of the treaty after the Battle of Udgir in 1760.

Meanwhile, Nashik city has received 7.33 mm rain in 24 hours ending at 5.30 pm.

As per the data provided by the district authorities, Igatpuri has recorded 473.33 mm rainfall from June 1 to July 21, while Nashik district has seen 142.4 mm shower so far this season.

Meanwhile, with the recovery of six more bodies from the debris at the landslide-affected Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district, the toll increased to 22 on Friday, an official said.

Of the six victims whose bodies were pulled out since the morning, three were men and three women, he said.

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Four children, aged between 6 months to four years and including two siblings, are among the 21 deceased, said the official.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams resumed their search and rescue operation at the landslide site, located in a hilly terrain, around 6.30 am amid rainfall in the area after suspending the exercise overnight, said the official.

Local villagers and relatives of the people trapped under the debris are assisting the rescue teams, he said.

The massive landslide hit Irshalwadi, a tribal village located on a hill slope in the coastal district, around 80km from Mumbai, on Wednesday night. Till Thursday, 16 people had perished in the tragedy.

Of the total 228 residents of the village, the bodies of 21 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been traced, he said.

However, a total of 114 villagers are yet to be located. They include those who had gone out of the village to attend a marriage or for rice plantation work, the official said.

As the remote village does not have a pucca road, earth movers and excavators could not be easily moved and hence the operation is being carried out manually, he said.

NDRF personnel had to stop their search and rescue operation at the landslide site on Thursday evening due to bad weather. (Agencies)