Raigad man saves wife, son but 2 daughters die in landslide

MUMBAI: Raigad resident Nitesh Sutur (32) barely settled on the floor for dinner when a massive heap of mud entered his house, submerging his three young children and wife at Sakhar Sutarwadi village, Poladpur taluka, on Thursday.
He could pull out his wife and son by following their screams, but his daughters, aged 5 and 6, could not be saved.
Sutur, his four-year-old son Sarthak and nine others injured in landslides in Taliye in Mahad and Poladpur in Raigad district, were brought to JJ Hospital, Byculla, for treatment.Six to eight of them have fractures, while the condition of the others is being evaluated. Those traumatised will be counselled, hospital authorities said. Eight were brought on Friday and three on Saturday from Taliye and Poladpur.
Raigad, the worst affected, reported 60 deaths in three landslides, including the worst at Taliye village that claimed 49 lives.
Sutur said he cannot believe he lost Sanskruti (5) and Sidhi (6) in a span of minutes. “Around 8.30pm, we sat down for dinner when a pile of mud and stones entered our homes. There were screams everywhere. I came out alive and stood on my feet. I could hear my wife and son scream for help. I followed their voice and pulled them out, but I could not find my daughters. I kept calling their names,” the father said. The girls’ bodies were found two hours later.
He said locals worked all night to look for survivors as rain battered the region. It had been raining for four days before the landslides struck several villages in Raigad. Sutur said they lived in a pucca house and never imagined this could occur. Born and brought up in Sakhar Sutarwadi, Sutur, a construction labourer, said their house withstood many monsoons. He sustained blunt trauma and abrasions but no fractures. His son has not suffered serious injuries. Sutur said his wife was being treated at a hospital in Raigad.
“Most have suffered bone, leg and hand fractures. Overall, all are stable,” said Dr Sanjay Surase, medical superintendent of JJ. A 21-year-old woman was under severe trauma from the incident.