RAIGAD, India (AP) — Rescue efforts resumed Friday after an in a single day halt in India’s western Maharashtra state the place a landslide triggered by torrential rains killed no less than 16 folks, with many others feared trapped below particles, officers stated.

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

Search operations have been suspended on Thursday evening resulting from heavy rainfall plus the specter of additional landslides at nighttime, stated a press release by the National Disaster Response Force.

While 75 folks have been rescued, many others are nonetheless caught, an official instructed the Press Trust of India information company.

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

The hilly terrain has made the duty of rescuers troublesome as heavy gear to take away the rubble couldn’t be moved simply. From the hill base, it takes about one-and-a-half hours to succeed in Irshalwadi as a result of it isn’t linked by paved roads.

India’s climate division put Maharashtra on alert because the state has been 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 on Thursday shut colleges.

Local prepare providers have 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 stated, because the downpours induced roads to collapse and houses to break down.

Monsoon rains throughout the nation have already caused 2% extra rainfall this yr than regular, India’s climate company stated.

India recurrently sees extreme floods throughout 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 throughout the season however typically trigger in depth harm.

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