Mumbai rains: 45-year-old woman drowns in open drain in Andheri
What's the story
A 45-year-old woman, Vimal Gaikwad, drowned in an open drain in the MIDC area of Andheri, Mumbai, amid heavy rains on Wednesday.
Gaikwad was swept away for approximately 100 meters before her body was recovered following a search operation that lasted about an hour.
"She was rescued by the Mumbai fire brigade and sent to Cooper Hospital but was declared brought dead by doctors," officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
City impact
Heavy rains disrupt Mumbai, trigger landslide
The heavy downpour also caused severe waterlogging and traffic congestion in several parts of Mumbai. A landslide at the Mumbra bypass further disrupted movement in the city.
The most affected regions include Veena Nagar in Mulund with 104mm, Bhandup at 120mm, Powai with 145mm, Chembur at 162mm, and Govandi, which recorded 167mm.
Railway commuters were forced to walk on tracks at Chunabhatti Railway station due to severe waterlogging.
Traffic disruption
Landslide disrupts traffic, no casualties reported
The landslide at Mumbra bypass occurred around 11:30pm disrupting traffic movement for more than three hours.
Fire officer Swapnil Sarnobat stated, "The traffic jam persisted for about 3 hours. During this period, the traffic department also controlled the traffic from one side."
He added that there were no reports of any casualties and normalcy was restored after removing stones from the road with a JCB machine.
Weather alert
Red alert issued, schools and colleges declared holiday
In response to the heavy rains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai until Thursday morning.
As a precautionary measure, all schools and colleges in Mumbai were declared closed on Thursday.
The BMC administration has requested residents to leave their homes only if necessary.
Similarly, Pune District Collector Dr Suhas Diwase announced a public holiday for all schools and colleges in Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday due to incessant rainfall predicted by IMD.