Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other relief organisations must undertake a treacherous two-hour trek up a hill amid the relentless rains before they can reach the disaster site, which is two hours away from a motorable road and is now covered by about 20 feet of debris.

The settlement comprises 48 houses, accommodating an equal number of families, with an estimated population of 234. The village of Namreshwadi, situated at the base of the hill, is home to relatives of Irsalwadi’s residents. The majority of the rescue teams have set up their base camp at Namreshwadi while survivors who sustained minor injuries are being provided shelter and care in the village.

‘No time to save loved ones’

Bhumi Parde, 35, said, “I was suddenly woken up by relatives who begged me to leave the village immediately as heavy rains had triggered a landslide. The hills gave way, and trees were crashing down, trapping most of the houses under mud. It was a horrifying sight, and we had no time to alert our other relatives who were just a few metres away. Their homes collapsed right before our eyes and echoes of screams rent the air, making everything even more horrifying.”

She added, “My husband and I hurriedly sought refuge on open farmland but the rains refused to let up. We could hear people in distress, but there was little we could do at that moment.” Another village is located on the opposite side of the mountain, and incredibly, someone from our village managed to reach it after walking for about four kilometres. They reached the neighbouring village in about an hour and help finally arrived at approximately 12.30 pm. The whole experience was truly frightening, and we are grateful for the help that eventually reached us.”

‘8 family members trapped’

Ramesh Parde, Bhumi’s husband, said the couple couldn’t sleep a wink and was clinging to the hope that their family members would survive. “Eight members of my family are trapped in the debris, and our prayers are with them. Of my siblings, three of us managed to survive, but my elder brother and his entire family, including his three girls and two boys, are trapped under the wreckage. Last night, we attempted to warn them, but it was too late. Mud flowed down from both sides of the mountains and trees were collapsing, leaving us with no time to react.”

“Everything we had lies buried, and all we can do is hope and pray for the survival of our family members. We are emptyhanded now and rely on the government to provide us with shelter and support during this difficult time,” he added.

‘Couldn’t reach spot’

Namreshwadi resident Mangri Lachka, 40, said, “Most of my relatives from my husband’s side of the family live in Irsalwadi, and we have not received any communication from them since morning. Seven family members are feared trapped under mud. Irsalwadi is entirely isolated and one must undertake a challenging 3-4-hour climb through the hills to reach there. We learned about the incident around 12.30 am when it was pitch dark, making it impossible for us to get there and assess the situation.”

Mangri’s kin, which are feared trapped include Bamujaytula, his wife Sangi and their daughter Devki Wagh and her son Shedar.

Darti Lachka, another Namreshwadi local, who is in her sixties, with a heavy heart, said, “My 40-year-old son, along with his wife and five children, resided in Irsarwadi. I used to visit them once a month, but now they are all trapped inside, and I haven’t received any news about them. We don’t even have pictures of them to aid the searchers. My heart is bleeding and I feel lost, not knowing where to turn. All I can do is pray to God and desperately hope for the safety and survival of my son and his entire family.”

Ragee Parde, an Irsalwadi resident, said, “I was at home awake due to the heavy downpour and power outage. I heard some noises, but I assumed it was just the rain. Suddenly, my daughter’s father-in-law arrived, urgently instructing us to wake everyone and evacuate immediately. When I looked outside, it was a nightmare come true. Every house was buried under mud. Only a part of our house survived, and I managed to escape with my husband, daughter, daughter-in-law and her father. However, 11 members of our extended family are trapped and we have received no news about them so far.

She added, “We took refuge in our house overnight, but in the morning, we had to leave as the mud flow was inching closer, threatening to trap us too. Now, we have nowhere to go and the continuous mudfall poses a serious threat to the rest of our house.” Radhirama Pardhe, another survivor, said, “While five members of my family were asleep, the roof of our house collapsed, burying them partially under mud and debris. Two children were trapped in the debris but somehow the elders managed to rescue themselves and bravely dug through the debris to save the kids.”

The family eventually managed to escape around 11.30 pm and sought refuge on farmland. Radhirama said that the previous night, everything seemed normal despite the heavy downpour. The family said they were fortunate that the mud flowing from the hills took time to reach their residence, which was situated near the entrance of the village. Nonetheless, their house collapsed and several of their relatives were trapped under 15 to 20-feet-deep mud.

Youth rescues kin

Parshuram Nirguda, 27, a resident of the neighbouring Parose village, managed to save three relatives after being informed about the landslide.

“I received a call around 11.45 pm and was told that the village had been devastated. I panicked as my relatives reside there. Nine people and I climbed the hill. When we reached the spot, it was pitch black but we had torches. Nothing was left of the village. We could hear people screaming “Mala vachva, mala vachva [save me, save me]. Hence we decided to form two rescue groups. One group located a relative Pravin Pardhi, 21, who was trapped under rubble. The other rescued, another relative, Yashwant Dhore, 35. Yashwant’s wife Kavita was also eventually saved. Pravin and Yashwant were taken to a primary health care centre but they were later shifted to MGM hospital.

Kavita sustained minor injuries on her leg. “Pravin Pardhi has a head injury while Yashwant sustained injuries on the hip and has fractured his leg. They are stable and will be discharged on examination,” a hospital source said. Pravin’s family are feared to be struck under debris.

Fire officer dies during rescue

A 50-year-old fire brigade officer, Shivram Dhumne, lost his life while attempting to rescue people trapped in the debris of the landslide at Irsalwadi village. The incident occurred around 2 am to 2.15 am, when officer Dhumne and Chief Purushottam Jadhav of Belapur fire brigade station were dispatched to Irsalwadi for the rescue. Despite facing challenges during their climb, such as multiple slips, the team remained determined to reach the location.

Jadhav said, “We slipped multiple times during the climb yet managed to walk a few kilometres. Suddenly Dhumne started having severe chest pain and collapsed. We gave him CPR but it didn’t work.”

“Then 8-10 officers, with the help of a stretcher, brought him down. He was declared dead at the hospital,” Jadhav added.