32 dead as rain batters Mumbai, IMD issues red alert

At least 32 people were killed in incessant heavy downpour overnight in Mumbai, causing severe water-logging and traffic disruptions in the financial capital on Sunday, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai in the backdrop of heavy rains, a BMC official said.

The Western Railway and Central Railway briefly suspended suburban train services in Mumbai after the heavy rains, and many long distance trains were terminated or regulated at various stations, officials said. Even the air services were temporarily suspended.

According to the BMC Disaster Cell and NDRF, at least 17 people were killed when a wall collapsed after a tree fell at Vashi Naka, New Bharat Nagar in the Chembur area around 1 am. Seven people were injured and taken to nearby Rajawadi hospital, he added.

In another incident, at least seven people perished when a few hutments caved in the Suryanagar slums in Vikhroli east. A 16-year-old boy, Soham M. Thorat, was killed when the wall of his home collapsed early on Sunday.

Around 17 other persons, injured in all these incidents, have been rushed to various hospitals and are undergoing treatment, with their condition described as stable.

The BMC›s gauges recorded rainfall of 177 mm in South Mumbai, 205 mm in Eastern Suburbs and 195 mm in Western Suburbs. In many areas, people reported waist-deep waters, with the floodwaters entering the ground floor homes or shops in the vulnerable or low-lying areas.

As a result, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) temporarily suspended flight operations between 00:42-05:24 hrs on 18 July as a safety precaution. During this time, a total of 9 flights were diverted. Flight operations at CSMIA recommenced with effect from 05:24 hrs and, as per the last report, was proceeding as per schedule.

The downpour, which started after midnight, continued virtually non-stop and led to water-logging in most parts of the city, besides the coastal Konkan districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane and Palghar.

The rains hit the suburban train services with Western Railways lines flooding at Nalasopara and Virar, and the Central Railways tracks getting submerged at Dadar, Sion, Kurla, Parel, Chunabhatti and Tilaknagar. By 7 am, as the water levels receded from the railway tracks, the Western Railways resumed services between Churchgate and Borivali and the Central Railways started services on the mainline and Harbour Line.

The BMC said water-logging or flooding was reported in at least 31 localities across Mumbai, including the regular hotspots and the east-west subways in the western suburbs.

The IMD Mumbai has warned of more rains during the day, including a few very heavy spells for which the BMC, NDRF, police, fire brigade and other agencies are on high alert in Mumbai and the entire coastal Konkan region.