Mumbai deluge leaves 30 dead

At least 30 people were killed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in different incidents as heavy rain pounded India’s commercial capital on Tuesday.

Road, rail and air transport were badly affected and parts of Mumbai suburbs were inundated but there was respite as the rain had stopped when latest reports came in.

The main runway of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was shut after a SpiceJet aircraft overshot the runway. It will take 48 hours for full operations to resume.

The worst incident was reported from Kurar in the western suburb of Goregaon-Malad when a retaining wall crashed on to 60 to 70 hutments killing 21 people and injuring 70.

The toll is likely to go up as some of the injured have been admitted to ICUs in a critical condition.

The Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Fire Brigade and NDRF are still engaged in rescue and relief operations.

Three people died when a wall of an Urdu school caved in in Kalyan of Thane district and another in Bhandup in Mumbai. There was one death because of electrocution.

Two youths were killed when their SUV was stuck in flood waters in Malad subway while two were washed away in Palghar district.

Since Friday, across Maharashtra, rains claimed 65 lives. Local trains on some lines were restored while there were delays, cancellations on others. IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in Mumbai, Konkan, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. More reports, Page 8