5 dead, several rendered homeless following heavy rain in Mumbai

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, June 25

At least five people were killed between Sunday night and Monday afternoon following heavy rain in and around Mumbai which disrupted life in the city, police and fire officials said.

According to the police, a 15-year-old boy died after drowning in an open pit filled with rain water in suburban Malad on Monday while another boy was killed after a wall collapsed on him in adjoining Thane city. 

On Sunday evening, two people died after a tree fell on them at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, police added. A woman was

reported dead after touching a live wire at Ghatkopar in the Eastern suburbs, fire officials said.

The incessant rainfall since Sunday afternoon has resulted in air, train and road services being disrupted. Officials from the disaster management cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said low-lying areas of Mumbai like Milan subway, Dharavi, Sion, Matunga, Hindmata, Malad, Kurla, Andheri subway, Bhandup, Worli and Lower Parel were flooded with water up to 3 ft.

Later in the day, pumps to evacuate rain water into the sea were deployed and the road was partially opened to the public.

At several places, wall collapses caused cars to be crushed even as heavy winds made it difficult for fire brigade personnel to carry out relief and rescue operations. The worst hit area was the Lloyd Estates at Antop Hill where a compound wall on a hill side slipped away crushing 12 cars and leaving five others dangling precariously.

Parts of the building, which houses senior lawyers, judges and

businessmen, were evacuated by the fire brigade which feared the structure could collapse.

On late Monday afternoon, the Maharashtra government announced that the National Disaster Response Force has been asked to remain on standby. 

The Indian Meteorological Department said the Santa Cruz weather station had recorded 231.4 mm rain fall over the 24 hours ending Monday afternoon. 

Mumbai's famed 'local train' services continued to ply as usual though services were delayed by several minutes, officials from the Western and Central Railways said. "WR Suburban trains are running with no disruption. There is slight delay due to low visibility in some areas due to rains," a statement from the railway said. There were, however, fewer people as most chose to stay at home.

Heavy rains also caused flight disruptions in the city. Jet Airways and Vistara warned passengers that flights leaving and arriving at Mumbai would be delayed. "Air traffic congestion in Mumbai. Arrival and departure delays of up to 30 minutes are expected at Mumbai airport till 1600 hrs," Jet Airways said this morning. "Customers travelling from Mumbai are advised to allow more time for their journey to the Airport," Vistara added.

Till afternoon 68 flights, including 35 departures and 33 arrivals, have been reported delayed by the city airport authorities.

Later in the afternoon, the IMD has predicted heavy-to-very heavy rain in and around Mumbai in the next 24 to 48 hours. "These heavy showers are due to a cyclonic circulation over north Konkan and adjoining south Gujarat and another circulation in the Bay of Bengal. We expect the rain activity to increase in the coming week, with scattered heavy to very heavy rain on June 27 and 28 in parts of north Konkan, including Mumbai," a statement by IMD said.