Landslide in Maharashtra village: Search and rescue operation resumes on 4th day; 81 people untraced
Mumbai (PTI): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies resumed the search and rescue operation for the fourth day on Sunday at Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district where a massive landslide led to the death of at least 27 people, officials said.
According to an NDRF official, no body was recovered so far after the search and rescue operation resumed in the morning.
The death toll in the landslide mounted to 27 on Saturday while 81 persons are yet to be traced, officials earlier said.
The landslide at the tribal village, situated on a hill slope under Khalapur tehsil that is located around 80 km from Mumbai, occurred on Wednesday night.
At least 17 of 48 houses in the village were fully or partially buried under the landslide debris, officials said.
The search and rescue operation was called off on Saturday night due to bad light and inclement weather and resumed on Sunday morning.
The rescue operation is being carried out manually as earth movers and excavators could not be easily moved to the village in the absence of a pucca road.
Of the 27 bodies recovered so far, 12 are women, 10 men and four children, while one person is unidentified, officials said.
Nine members of a family had perished in the disaster, they said.
On Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met residents of Irshalwadi.
He said people living in landslide-prone areas in Maharashtra should be moved to safer locations.
"Not just Irsahlwadi. All such localities should be rehabilitated in nearby villages or areas," he said.
The former chief minister said he had planned a scheme to rehabilitate villages residing in landslide-prone areas to safer places.
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BIT AI & Data Science department organises zero plastic drive on campus
Mangaluru: The Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT), Mangaluru, organised a “Zero Plastic Drive” on April 27 at the Bearys Knowledge Campus as part of Earth Week 2026 (April 22–29).
The programme was conducted in association with BIT-ADVA (Students Association of AI & DS) and the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), with the objective of promoting environmental sustainability and reducing plastic usage on campus.
The event commenced with an awareness and motivational session on zero plastic by Dr. Mehaboob Mujawar, who highlighted the harmful effects of single-use plastics and stressed the need for adopting sustainable practices.
The drive was coordinated by Dr. Mehaboob Mujawar and Meghana Nayak, ensuring the smooth execution of activities. The programme witnessed active participation from students of the 4th and 6th semester of AI and Data Science, along with faculty members.
As part of the initiative, students collected plastic waste from classrooms, canteens, hostels, and surrounding areas of the campus. The collected waste was segregated for proper disposal and recycling. Cloth bags were also distributed to encourage the use of eco-friendly alternatives.
An awareness rally was conducted to educate students on the hazards of plastic pollution and the importance of responsible waste management.
The drive resulted in the collection and segregation of a significant amount of plastic waste and created awareness among students about sustainable practices. The initiative also encouraged the adoption of eco-friendly habits, contributing to a cleaner and greener campus environment. 
