The retreating monsoon wreaked havoc in several parts of Maharashtra, especially the western part of the State and the Marathwada region, with Solapur being particularly hard-hit. At least six people, including three women and one minor, were killed and two more injured in Pandharpur after heavy rain caused a portion of an embankment wall near the Chandrabhaga river to cave in, authorities said on Wednesday.
District authorities said that the wall of the newly constructed Kumbhar Ghat crumbled after 2 PM, killing six of the eight people standing on the ghat wall. Meanwhile, Pune officials, who recovered three bodies till Thursday morning, said the victims were trying to cross a small bridge erected on a stream at Khanote village in Daund tehsil when they were swept away in swollen waters. Officials said a search is on for the fourth person.
By midnight, rains relented completely in most parts of the district but the weather department has predicted more rainfall till Friday due to moisture incursion from depression over the interiors of Karnataka and the system moving into Maharashtra. Savitribai Phule Pune University has canceled its final year exam scheduled on Thursday because of the rains.
The airport authorities said the heavy rains last night forced a Chennai-Pune flight to be diverted while a Pune-Bengaluru flight was sent back to the originating airport apart from several other incidents of flight delays. IMD issued an orange alert till 17th Oct in central Maharashtra, south Gujarat, Goa and Konkan region.
It has been raining heavily in Mumbai since Wednesday night. Mumbai city received 103 mm whereas the western suburb received 83 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Waterlogging at various places in Mumbai has been noticed in Sion, king circle, grant road area.
According to IMD Pune, Shivajinagar received 96 mm rainfall on Wednesday, leaving several roads, housing societies and parking areas inundated while 10 vehicles were washed away in separate incidents in rural parts of the district.
The NDRF team has been sent from Pune to Sangli and Solapur districts where many people were stuck in flood. From Solapur, Mobil Ghatni village, NDRF rescued 70 people who were stuck in flood for the last 12 hours. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar held a review meeting with the officers on the flood situation in the city.
