18 dead in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra since June 1
What's the story
At least 18 people have died and 65 others have been injured in rain-related incidents across Maharashtra since June 1, officials said on Monday.
The deaths were caused by a variety of incidents, such as road accidents, drowning, lightning strikes, and fire due to heavy rains.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rainfall across the state this week as the monsoon advances.
Impact
Rain-related incidents across Maharashtra
The State Disaster Management Authority reported that the rain-related incidents included road accidents, falls from bridges, drownings, lightning strikes, and fires. Six cattle deaths were also reported during this period.
In the last 24 hours, several areas, including Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and Raigad districts, witnessed very heavy rainfall, leading to waterlogging in several places.
Alerts
Orange alert issued for ghat sections
The ghat section of western Maharashtra has been issued an orange alert for Monday, covering Pune, Kolhapur, and Satara. A red alert has also been issued for Raigad today.
An orange alert signifies very heavy rainfall while a red alert indicates extremely heavy rainfall.
The IMD said the rainfall activity over Maharashtra is likely to continue during June 15-18 due to a merged cyclonic circulation over South Madhya Maharashtra and its neighborhood.
Forecast
Monsoon likely to advance across Maharashtra this week
IMD officials said the monsoon is likely to advance across Maharashtra this week.
"Conditions are favorable for further advancement of the southwest monsoon over some parts of Gujarat, some more parts of Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha during the next 24 hours; over some parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and east Uttar Pradesh during the subsequent three days," the forecast added.