Maharashtra: Raigad family of 5 perishes under the weight of tradition

A traditional persistence with the practice that one must not leave the table before finishing one’s food led to the death of five members of a family when a landslide struck Kevnale village in Poladpur, Raigad.
“It was raining very, very heavily and I had a feeling something terrible was about to happen,” recounted Laxman Dabhekar (75), the family’s neighbour, on Sunday. “I kept asking all of them to come out and to accompany me to safety, but they did not listen.All five had sat for dinner. The head of the household was deeply religious and bluntly told me that he could not heed my warning as he was midway taking his first bite. God will help, he said. The landslide hit in front of my eyes and swept the family away. Somehow I survived the nightmare."
At the Posare Khurd tribal village in Khed, Ratnagiri, two successive landslides hit, amid which a man had a narrow escape. “The first landslide struck at 3 pm on Thursday, but without any impact. Nothing came downhill towards the human settlement. The second landslide hit around 10.30 pm, when most people were within their houses. Seven houses were crushed,” said Ajay Mohite. “Somehow, the place I was, escaped the fury of the tumbling rocks. I’m alive.”