Raigad landslide: How PUBG saved lives in Irsalwadi

The infamous online game PUBG: Battlegrounds inadvertently saved the lives of around 15 to 17 children and teenagers from the ill-fated hilltop village of Irsalwadi, who used to gather at the hamlet's primary school building every day to play the multiplayer game as well as Ludo until the wee hours.

According to villagers, the school has been shut for the past four to five years and served as a gaming zone as the mobile network is strong at the spot. Children and teenagers would also play board games such as chess, snakes and ladders and carrom in the school building. A few villagers, who lacked accommodation, also slept in the building every day. The school was built in 1999 by the NGO Janiv. However, most parents preferred to admit their kids to the adivasi ashram school in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, as the facilities there were better.

On July 19, between 8 pm and 9 pm, around 10-12 minors went to the gaming zone after finishing dinner. Around 9 pm, the group started gaming. An hour and a half later, disaster struck and the entire village was trapped under debris dislodged by the landslide. Miraculously, only the school and three to four houses were untouched. The children immediately emerged from the school building and informed the villagers in Nanivali at the base of the hill about the tragedy, thus kick-starting relief efforts.

'Couldn't save parents'

Ananta Pardhi, 20, lost his father, Dama Changu Bhavar, 40, and mother Radhidhama Bhavar, 35), in the landslide. Ananta's brother, Ganesh, 16, was in the ashram school at Chikhale at the time of the incident. Speaking with mid-day, Ananta said, "I was playing PUBG with my friends at school after dinner. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. I could see that my house was trapped under rubble. I couldn't even make my way back home. It was raining heavily. I failed to save my parents."

'Lost parents, siblings...'
Ashok Madhu Bhutambara, 22, lost his father, Madhu; mother, Kamal; two sisters, Bharti and Hira; and grandmother, Bali. Ashok works as a helper in a mall. All his kin were farmers. During rescue efforts, the deceased's bodies were recovered. Ashok told mid-day, "Just an hour before the incident, I was at home eating dinner. I got permission from my parents and went to the school to play games with my friends. I was playing PUBG when the landslide happened. When all of us came out of the school, we noticed that our entire village was under the rubble. I lost my entire family."

A 15-year-old boy who was also playing PUBG in school lost his parents and two sisters. His twin sister was saved as she was in the ashram school at the time. A teenager playing PUBG, ventured out of the Irsalwadi school as an error had occurred. When he reached a temple while searching for better network, the landslide occurred. He then informed the Nanivali villagers about the incident.

Game controversies
PUBG Mobile, the second most-played mobile video game of all time, courted controversy following incidents of thefts and violence among youth. Battlegrounds Mobile India, the Indian version of the game, was banned in India on July 28, 2022.