MUMBAI, Aug. 17 -- At Varsha Nagar in Vikhroli Parksite, fear is a constant companion and denial a survival tool. But time ran out for a father and his teenage daughter in the early hours of Saturday, when a mudslide amid torrential rain buried them as they slept in their home. The slum tenement was one of many stacked one above the other on a hillside prone to mudslides in the eastern suburb. The tragedy unfolded as the city was battered by rain on Friday, and throughout the night into Saturday. Vikhroli recorded 257.5mm of rain overnight, among the highest in the suburbs. Allamuddin Khan, a neighbour of the deceased and who lives right on top of the Parksite hill, said he heard a loud thud at around 2.30am. He rushed across to check. "It was too dark to see clearly. All we could tell was that one of the houses was buried under mud. A mudslide had slammed into the home and crashed into the door." Residents of the small slum colony tried to make their way in but were met by a wall of sticky mud, at waist-level. "The mud wouldn't budge. We called for help and debated whether we should use shovels as that might injure the family buried beneath," recalls Khan. With the clock ticking, panicked residents finally dug their way through the wet soil and debris, and found Arti Mishra, 45 and her son Ruturaj, 20. They were alive. Eventually, they came upon Suresh, 50, and his daughter Shalu, 19. However, it was too late. By now, it was around 5am and all four were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. Arti suffered injuries on her head, waist and leg, while Ruturaj had shoulder injuries. "The doctor said we needed to stay in hospital for some more time but we discharged ourselves to perform the last rites of the family," said Arti. Suresh was the sole breadwinner of the family. He washed cars and found odd jobs as a daily wage worker. "We have to find a way to earn or go back to our native place as we can't afford to rebuild our home," said Arti. The deadly mudslide at Varsha Nagar took place when a retaining wall gave way in the downpour, triggering a mudslide. It had apparently been built by a private builder, to prevent the slums from encroaching any further up the hill. "It's the same wall that collapsed during the landslide," said Bharti Bawdane, a former corporator from Ghatkopar. Assistant municipal commissioner, N ward, Gajanan Bellale, said, "There was a wall which caused the damage. The locals say it was built long ago and in patches. We will find out who built it and are in the process of removing the wall." "We will be demolishing four to six homes here, as they are in dangerous, landslide-prone areas. While we cannot say whether or not they are illegal, as they have been there for a long time and the land belongs to the collector, we are taking action to prevent further loss of life," he said. "The BMC sends us notices every year but we have no option but to stay," said Feroze Shaikh, another resident, who works as a carpenter. "We simply cannot afford to move."...