RAIGAD, India — Rescuers discovered 5 extra our bodies Friday in India’s western Maharashtra state, elevating the loss of life toll from a landslide triggered by torrential rains to at the very least 21 with many others feared trapped underneath the particles, officers mentioned.

Scores of rescuers and trekkers have been deployed to seek for folks trapped by the landslide, which occurred late Wednesday evening, the state’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, tweeted. Harsh climate circumstances have hampered rescue efforts and authorities have despatched in medical groups to assist the injured, he mentioned.

Search operations had been suspended Thursday evening because of heavy rainfall plus the specter of additional landslides at nighttime, the National Disaster Response Force mentioned.

It mentioned rescuers resumed search operations on Friday and located 5 our bodies, elevating the confirmed loss of life toll to 21.

Ten different rescued folks have been hospitalized, it mentioned. It did not say how many individuals had been feared trapped underneath the rubble.

An official instructed the Press Trust of India information company that 75 folks have been rescued and lots of others stay trapped.

The landslide hit Irshalwadi village in Raigad district and buried 17 of the 50 homes there.

The hilly terrain has made the duty of rescuers troublesome as a result of heavy tools to take away the rubble cannot be moved simply. From the bottom of the hill, it takes about 90 minutes to achieve Irshalwadi because of a scarcity of paved roads.

India’s climate division positioned Maharashtra underneath alert because the state was lashed by incessant rains this week. The downpours have disrupted life for a lot of within the state, together with within the capital, Mumbai, the place authorities shut faculties on Thursday.

Local practice service has been disrupted, with water flowing inside stations and over tracks, native media reported.

Record monsoon rains killed greater than 100 folks in northern India during the last two weeks, officers mentioned, because the downpours triggered roads to collapse and houses to break down.

Monsoon rains throughout the nation have already led to 2% extra rainfall this yr than regular, the climate company mentioned.

India repeatedly experiences extreme floods in the course of the monsoon season, which runs between June and September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are essential for rain-fed crops planted in the course of the season however usually trigger in depth harm.

Scientists say monsoons have gotten extra erratic due to local weather change, resulting in frequent landslides and flash floods in India’s Himalayan north.