2 feared trapped as landslide hits bungalows in Lavasa city; one killed in rain-related incident

Pune, Jul 25 (PTI) One person died in a rain-related incident, while two individuals were feared trapped after a landslide hit three bungalows in Lavasa city in Pune district on Thursday amid heavy showers, police said.

Lavasa, a private, planned city located around 65km from Pune city, has recorded 453 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period ended at 8.30 am on Thursday, officials said.

The district’s Mulshi tehsil, where Lavasa is located, has been experiencing incessant rains since Wednesday evening.

According to the police, two people, employed as caretakers, were feared trapped in one of the three bungalows that came under the debris of the early morning landslide in Dasve village.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local administration personnel are engaged in a search and rescue operation at the landslide site, they said.

The district administration is keeping a close watch on the rescue operation, said Pune collector Suhas Divase.

Manoj Yadav, senior inspector at the Paud police station, said the trapped duo worked as caretakers in one of the landslide-hit bungalows.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, one person, identified as Shivaji Bahirat, died after a roadside eatery came under the debris of a landslide in Tamhini Ghat in Mulshi tehsil, said the police.

Another person sustained injuries in the incident, they added.