Maharashtra's Palghar district admin keeps NDRF on standby amid heavy rain

Amid the rainfall situation in Maharashtra's Palghar the district administration instructed 23 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team to be prepared to deal with torrential rains, said officials on Thursday.

As per District Magistrate Office Palghar, the district administration in Palghar, Maharashtra, gave 23 NDRF members instructions to be ready amid persistent downpours.

The district administration also instructed all the sub-divisional officers and tehsildars of the district to remain alert and not leave the headquarters, said the DMO.

The DMO added that the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation has also been informed through a letter to remain alert and provide necessary assistance.

Villages nearby coastal areas have received warnings because of the high tide, it further said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar directed district collectors for precautionary measures in view of the incessant rainfall in parts of the state.

Meanwhile, an incident of landslide was reported at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil in Maharashtra's Raigad district. Some people are feared trapped inside the debris, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Thursday.

Four people were killed and several are feared trapped under debris, said police.

According to the Raigad Police, in the landslide at Irshalwadi village of Khalapur tehsil, four people died and three others were injured. One of the rescuers also died due to heart attack, police said.

Rescue operation by the teams of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), is underway.

Earlier, the NDRF said that two teams reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and launched the search and rescue operation. They further informed that two more teams have left from Mumbai to join the operation.

Raigad Police also set up a control room after the incident. The police said that so far they have rescued 30 people from the spot but many are feared trapped in the debris.