Mumbai: 2 dead, roads waterlogged as heavy rains lash city
What's the story
Mumbai has been battered by heavy rains since Friday night, leaving roads waterlogged and disrupting daily life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the city and the neighboring Raigad district, predicting extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed that two people were killed in a landslide at a residential society in Varsha Nagar, Vikhroli West.
Incident details
2 killed, 2 injured in landslide
The landslide incident occurred at 2:39am on Saturday, killing Shalu Mishra (19) and Suresh Mishra (50). Soil and stones from a hillside collapsed onto a hut, killing two people and injuring two others, according to preliminary reports Two others, Aarti Mishra (45) and Ruturaj Mishra (20), were injured and are currently being treated at Rajawadi Hospital. Rescue teams are working to clear the debris from the site.
Travel impact
Waterlogging reported in several parts of city
Waterlogging has been reported in several parts of the city, including Sion, Kurla, Chembur, and Andheri. Shanmukhanand Hall Road in Sion saw water accumulate up to one-and-a-half feet. Vehicles were stranded on the Western Express Highway due to flooding. The Andheri subway was also shut by civic authorities after it got flooded, affecting commuter movement across the city.
Rainfall data
Santacruz observatory records highest single-day rainfall in August since 2020
In the 21 hours from 8:30am Friday to 5:30am Saturday, Vikhroli received 257.5mm of rain, Santacruz recorded 232.5mm and Sion received 221mm. The Santacruz observatory recorded its highest single-day rainfall in August since 2020, with a total of 245mm till Saturday morning. The Colaba coastal observatory received only about one-third of this amount during the same period, at just over 83mm.
Weather forecast
Red alert issued for Mumbai, Raigad
The IMD upgraded its warning from a yellow alert on Friday to a red alert on Saturday as rainfall intensity increased. Shubhangi Bhute, director of IMD Mumbai, explained that "owing to the low-pressure area which has developed in the Bay of Bengal...a trough is running from the Bay of Bengal up to Arabian Sea, which is called east-west shear zone." With Janmashtami festivities about to begin, safety concerns have been raised with large crowds expected for Dahi Handi celebrations.