A landslide in a remote village in western India killed 30 people and trapped more than 150 early Wednesday, officals said, according to the BBC. 

The landslide was caused by the massive downpours associated with the monsoon season, and affected a remote area near the city of Pune during the early morning hours.

Officials told Times of India the landslide occured at about 4 a.m., but help did not come for several hours.

A 100-member team from the National Disaster Response Force was sent to the area, where about 70 homes were buried, 158 homes were struck by the landslide, and at least 704 people total living in the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains were affected, according to Associated Press .

Monsoons often cause landslides, between June and September, but the area was extra vulnerable because of deforestation, according to BBC.

Environmental activist Sumaira Abdulali told BBC the landslide was especially brutal to the area because of its vulnerability from stone quarrying. 

"Parts of the Himalayas are rocky and have nothing to hold the soil. These areas are prone to landslides. Here [in Mailin], we are creating the condition by cutting trees. Stone quarrying results in formations that are unstable and could quicken landslides," she said.

District Collector Saurav Rao told India Today, "(The) exact number of causalities is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely. About 30 ambulances have been rushed from adjoining areas to extend medical help to the victims."

As day turned to night, a district offical told AP that rescuers continued their work using floodlights in order to remove bodies from under mud, rocks, trees and debris.

"Everything on the mountain came down," said Suresh Jadhav.

The nearest medical facility is nine miles away from the village.

More than 4 inches of rain were reported on Tuesday, but the rain continued into Wednesday, according to AP.

"It is a small village and this happened very suddenly," local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network, according to AP.