Rains in India cause landslide, leaving 17 dead

PUNE, India, July 30 (UPI) —

A landslide, following heavy rains, killed at least 17 people in Malin, a village near Pune in western India, Tuesday.

Another 150 people are trapped and awaiting rescue, officials said.

The landslide occurred in the night, after three days of rain, when a nearby hill collapsed onto the village and buried it under tons of mud and rocks. Houses were flattened, and it was not until Tuesday afternoon that residents of adjacent villages could alert officials. Only the village’s school has not been buried in debris or washed away.

An official of India’s National Disaster Response Team said the mountainous terrain in the area was making the rescue difficult.

Rescue workers at the scene used their hands and manual tools to excavate the site. Local official Saurav Rao told the newspaper Press Trust of India that heavy machinery and ambulances were on their way to the village.

"The exact number of casualties is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely," Rao said.