150 feared trapped in landslide in India village via @iKanzee_RR

MUMBAI, (AFP) – A major landslide on
Wednesday struck a village in western India
following heavy monsoon rains, leaving 150
people feared trapped, a rescue official said.
The landslide submerged Malin village in Pune
district of Maharashtra state, said Alok
Avasthy, regional commandant at the National
Disaster Response Force.
“Civil authorities say around 42 to 50 houses
are affected. 150 people are feared trapped.
We have sent two teams,” Avasthy told AFP.
He said that it was difficult to confirm
casualties as the village has been cut off from
communications.
Indian television station CNN-IBN said five
people were killed in the landslide while
another five have been rescued.
Heavy machinery has been mobilised to try to
rescue those feared trapped, while about 30
ambulances have been rushed to the scene,
local government official Saurav Rao told the
Press Trust of India news agency.
“Exact number of causalities is not known as
we are moving slowly to ensure that those
trapped are removed safely,” district collector
Rao said.
Heavy rains have been falling for days in
Maharashtra as a result of the annual
monsoon.
Almost 6,000 people are presumed to have
died during flash floods and landslides
triggered by last year’s monsoon rains in the
northern India state of Uttarakhand.