Heavy Rains Kill 15 in India, Trigger Floods and Landslides
News Desk
Mumbai: Torrential monsoon rains have claimed at least 15 lives across India’s western state of Maharashtra, as relentless downpours triggered flooding, landslides and widespread disruption in Mumbai and surrounding districts, officials said on Monday.
According to Indian media reports, the death toll from rain-related incidents has risen to 15 over the past three to four days as heavy rainfall continued to batter the state.
In the latest incident, two members of the same family were killed after a house was buried under debris in a landslide in Pune district on Monday morning. Another person died after being swept away while attempting to cross a flooded road in the same district.
Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds have severely disrupted normal life in Mumbai and Pune. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune Metropolitan Region recorded between 200 and 250 millimetres of rainfall over the past 24 hours, inundating roads, disrupting traffic and bringing daily activities to a standstill.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Mumbai had received its average rainfall for the entire month of July in just four days.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Lonavala, a popular hill station near Mumbai, recorded 625 millimetres of rainfall, while Tamhini Ghat in Pune district received 589 millimetres and Mahabaleshwar in Satara district recorded 513 millimetres. Some areas of the state received between 800 and 1,000 millimetres of rainfall over the past three to four days.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts, warning of more heavy to extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds.
Meanwhile, a landslide on the recently inaugurated “Missing Link” section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway disrupted traffic, causing long delays for motorists.
Authorities have evacuated more than 1,000 people from vulnerable areas in Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Raigad and Pune districts as a precautionary measure.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed across affected areas and remain on high alert to respond to any further emergencies.
