18 Bodies Recovered, 5 Missing After Dam Breach in Ratnagiri

The dam in Maharashtra gave way around 10 pm on Tuesday night, after very heavy rains over the last two days.

The Tiware dam in Chiplun taluka of Ratnagiri district breached late on Tuesday night.

(Photo: PTI)

The death toll in the Tiware dam breach incident in Maharashtra has gone up to 18 with the recovery of seven more bodies on Thursday, 4 July. According to ANI, five people are still missing.

At least five other persons are still missing, a police official also confirmed. Of the deceased, one person is yet to be identified, he added.

Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are conducting search operations.

“The bodies were either found in water or lying near bushes,” the official said.

Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan visited the accident site, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin. The CM has also ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Some of the deceased were identified as Chandrabhaga Chavan (75), Atmaram Chavan (75) and their kin Pandurang (55), Sharda (44), Dashrath (20), Sandesh Dhadve (18), Nandaram (55), Vaishnavi (20), Anusaya (70), Ravindra (45), Rakesh Ghanekar (30), Sunil Pawar (33) and Rutuja Chavan (26).

The breach of the dam happened around 10 pm on Tuesday night, after very heavy rains for the last two days.

The breach caused seven villages located downstream to experience a flood-like situation and at least 12 houses from a hamlet adjacent to the dam were washed away, reports said.

Rescue Operations Underway, NDRF at Spot

The NDRF team has rushed to the spot to carry out rescue work, reports said. The Ratnagiri district disaster management unit also reached the spot.

When contacted, Additional Superintendent of Police, Ratnagiri, Vishal Gaikwad said a search operation has been launched by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state police personnel.

"Police have moved the villagers to safer places. The situation is under control now," he said.

Another police officer said rescue operations were hampered initially due to darkness and sudden influx of water, PTI reported.

Villagers Had Complained of Cracks in Dam

The Indian Express said that the Tiware dam, constructed in 2004, had started developing cracks after Tuesday evening, quoting the Ratnagiri police.

According to the report, the dam ruptured before the villages downstream could be alerted, flooding the hamlets within minutes.

(Photo: ANI)

"It is only because of their negligence that we have seen this day. My parents, wife and child of one-and-a-half-year is missing," said a family member of one the dead.

"My brother, who had gone to bring his vehicle back but did not return," he added.

Local public representatives also alleged that the government neglected their pleas for maintenance of the dam. They claimed to have written to the administration about the cracks in the walls of the dam, but no action was taken, according to PTI.

Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said villagers in the vicinity of the Tiware dam had complained of cracks in the dam.

Govt Negligence Led to Breach of Tiware Dam: NCP

The NCP on Wednesday alleged that the government's "negligence" was responsible for the breach of Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district.

Calling for action against the guilty, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil sought to know after how many deaths will the government wake up.

“The mishap occurred due to the negligence of the administration. How many lives will it take for the government to wake up?” Patil asked.

His party colleague Dhananjay Munde supported Patil over his "negligence" remark and asked the government to provide immediate relief.

"The incident again raises the issue of structural audit. Wake up those in power!" Munde tweeted.

Munde, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, had been raising the issue of carrying out structural audits of roads, bridges and buildings in the wake of wall collapse incidents, claiming lives, especially in Mumbai.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI, and The Indian Express)