The death toll in a landslide in western India rose to 41 Thursday as rescue workers struggled in heavy rain to find people buried in the mud, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said. Only eight people had been found alive, dpa quoted local government official Ganesh Patil as saying. "Over 35 hours after the incident it is unlikely that more of the estimated 120 to 150 people buried in the rubble would be found alive, but we can hope," Patil said. Incessant and heavy rains for most of the past week led to the mudslide from a hillock that flattened and buried more than 44 homes in Malin village in Maharashtra state Wednesday morning. "We cannot use heavy machinery because it is all so slushy and soft because of the continuous rain," Patil said by telephone. "The rescue operations would take another two days at least." More than 360 personnel from the NDRF were working in shifts assisted by local police and other officials. Sniffer dogs of the NDRF were being used to find victims trapped under the debris of mud and stone. The fast-flowing river near the village was being scanned for bodies, Patil said.
