Emergency crews are rushing to save nearly 200 people who are still trapped after a massive landslide that swallowed a village in western India, the BBC reported.
At least 30 people are confirmed dead in the landslide that occurred early Wednesday morning in the village of Malin in Maharashtra state. So far eight people have been rescued, but over 160 people are believed to be trapped beneath the collapsed earth.
Rescue efforts in the area, which is in the middle of a monsoon season, have been hampered by "very heavy rainfall," Tripti Parule, a spokesperson for India's National Disaster Response Force, told the BBC on Thursday.
Officials also believe about 50 houses were buried after parts of the hill collapsed. The victims are said to be trapped in the houses surrounded by rocks, trees and debris.
A 25-year-old mother and her baby were among the few rescued from the rubble.
"The woman and her baby were trapped in their house under the thatched roof...The mother was tightly holding the baby in her arms," Rescuer Baban Kokane told The Indian Express, according to the BBC.
Crews are also having difficulty reaching the scene due to badly damaged roads surrounding the village. As their efforts continue, officials can't say how many have been killed.
"Exact number of casualties is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely," local government official Saurav Rao told the Press Trust of India, according to AFP. He also said heavy machinery has been dispatched to the village.
Mudslides are common in some parts of India during the annual June to September monsoon season, causing rundown buildings and weak structures to collapse. In June, 61 people were killed after an apartment under construction crumpled in the city of Chennai, AFP reported.
Over 500 people were killed last June in landslides and floods in the northern state of Uttarakhand, according to the BBC.
