At Least 4 Killed as Heavy Rains Paralyze Mumbai
Mumbai: Torrential rain lashed the Indian metropolis of Mumbai, triggering urban flooding and killing at least four people, as well as paralyzing the city and forcing schools to close on Thursday.
According to Kashmir Media Service, some parts of Mumbai recorded around 275 mm (11 inches) of rain on Wednesday evening, which crippled road traffic and delayed the trains that millions of city residents rely on every day. Four people died from rain-related incidents, officials said.
With more rain expected, authorities issued a citywide red alert and urged residents to stay home. Schools and colleges were shut, and fishermen were advised to remain onshore until Friday.
Drone footage posted on social media showed highways snarled with cars—some with their drivers still inside, others abandoned by frustrated motorists. Hundreds of thousands of commuters spent hours on the road.
India’s monsoon rains began retreating from the northwest of the country earlier this week, nearly a week later than normal, the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.
The monsoon typically begins in June and starts to retreat by September 17, but the rains continued this year, helping to replenish reservoirs but damaging crop harvests in some states.
Heavy rain was also forecast for some parts of the southern state of Telangana on Thursday, the weather office reported.
