Mumbai rains: 7 killed as heavy shower lashes city, houses collapsed in many areas – Livemint

Five people lost their lives when a portion of a Bhanushali Building, at Ganesh Chawl in Fort area collapsed on Thursday afternoon. Several people were trapped under the debris with many more stranded in the portion left standing after the collapse. A team of National Disaster Response Force and fire brigade soon rushed the spot. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray then reached the area to take stock of the rescue operations. The rescue operations continued till midnight.

Sachidanand Gawde, spokesperson of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said, “Five dead bodies have been recovered from the debris. One of the deceased is unknown.”

“The risk of secondary collapse can’t be ruled out,” city fire chief P.S. Rahangdale said.

The dilapidated structure in the city’s south was home to five or six families who stayed on after residents were advised to evacuate as it was under repairs, according to reports.

Another building collapsed in the western suburb of Malad earlier, killing two, including a child, and injuring several. Rahangdale said, “Two people were already sent to a nearby hospital by locals before our teams arrived. Search and rescue operation is still on.”

The third structure collapse was reported on Thursday night. A a part of ceiling of a building in Marol collapsed and left many injured.

Continuous shower for the last few days have led to waterlogging in several parts of the city. The waterlogging was reported in 15 different places in the city including Hindmata, Dadar, Sion, Matunga, Wadala, Chembur, Bandra and Andheri, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reports.

BMC on Thursday warned residents of Goregaon, Mumbai, about the dangers posed by the increased water level in drains in the city due to the heavy rainfall.

On Wednesday night, Mumbai recorded its second-highest 24-hour rainfall since 2015.The city has also received 63% of its seasonal rainfall with 1,418 mm between June 1 and July 16 (Thursday) against the seasonal target of 2260.4 mm.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that rain activity is likely to subside in the city from today. Light to moderate rains are predicted over Mumbai, and its adjoining suburbs — Thane and Palghar — for the next four days.