Maharashtra rains: 45-year-old woman drowns in open drain in Mumbai’s Andheri

MUMBAI: In the aftermath of heavy rains in Mumbai on Wednesday, a 45-year-old woman drowned in an open drain in the MIDC area of Andheri.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said, “A 45-year-old woman, Vimal Gaikwad, drowned in an open drain in the MIDC area of Andheri. She was rescued by the Mumbai fire brigade and sent to Cooper Hospital but was declared brought dead by doctors”.

Railway commuters walked on tracks at the Chunabhatti Railway station as Mumbai faced severe waterlogging followed by torrential rains. Severe waterlogging and traffic snarls was witnessed in several parts of the city, with a landslide also reported at the Mumbra bypass, causing further disruptions to movement in the city.

Severe waterlogging was witnessed in Mumbai’s Kurla East area, Nehru Nagar, Chembur and heavy traffic snarls was witnessed on Kurla bridge following the rain. Heavy rains triggered a landslide at Mumbra bypass at around 11.30 pm which disrupted traffic movement on bypass, and lasted for more than three hours.

#WATCH | Thane, Maharashtra | Torrential rains in Mumbai lead to landslide at the Mumbra by-pass road. pic.twitter.com/SZ1kVUHmz7

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2024

Fire officer Swapnil Sarnobat said, “The traffic jam persisted for about three hours. During this period, the traffic police also controlled the traffic from one side. Fortunately, there is no news of any loss of life. After removing the stones from the road with an JCB, the movement of vehicles going towards Thane started”.

In a post on X, Mumbai police said, “In view of the Red alert in Mumbai & suburbs, issued by IMD, a holiday has been declared for all schools & colleges for tomorrow, 26th September 2024. Mumbaikars are requested to stay indoors, until essential. Please stay safe. Dial 100 in case of any emergencies”.

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani took stock of the rain situation in the city. The BMC said in a statement, “The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Red Alert for Mumbai, till tomorrow morning at 8.30 am. In view of this, all schools and colleges in Mumbai have been declared a holiday for tomorrow Thursday, 26 September 2024, in consideration of the safety of students. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration requests Mumbaikars to step out of homes only if required”.

Pune District Collector Dr Suhas Diwase announced public holiday for all schools and colleges in Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday in view of incessant rainfall as predicted by IMD. The IMD has issued an orange alert for tomorrow in the Pune district.

Earlier on Wednesday, IMD issued a red alert for Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts while for Ratnagiri district for September 26. In its weather bulletin for the nation, IMD predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Konkan and Goa, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, East Madhya Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Marathwada, coastal Karnataka, Bihar; Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Rayalaseema, Gujarat region, Chhattisgarh, West Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Maharashtra, interior Karnataka and Telangana. (ANI)