Six people were killed and one injured after a four-storey chawl collapsed in Mumbai's Mankhurd area on Sunday as relentless monsoon rain battered the city and neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts, disrupting flights, flooding roads and triggering multiple rain-related incidents.
One person is feared trapped under the debris of the collapse chawl, and a multi-agency operation, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), is underway to locate him, they said.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), four women and one man were brought dead to Shatabdi Hospital, while another man succumbed to injuries at Rajawadi Hospital. One injured person is undergoing treatment.
A search and rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Mumbai Fire Brigade, police and BMC personnel was continuing late into the night. Local BJP corporator Navnath Ban said one more person remained missing, while heavy rain was hampering rescue efforts.
The day-long downpour brought the financial capital to a crawl, forcing the temporary suspension of flight operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), causing flight diversions and cancellations, inundating several low-lying areas and prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare a holiday on Monday for all government, private and civic-run schools and colleges.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained a red alert for Mumbai after several parts of the city received over 200 mm of rainfall, with some locations recording close to 300 mm in the 24 hours ending Sunday morning. An orange alert has been issued for Monday, with forecasts of more heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds.
Flight operations at Mumbai airport remained suspended for an hour on Sunday morning after heavy rain, poor visibility and strong winds affected runway operations.
In a statement, CSMIA said, "At approximately 10.17 am on July 5, adverse weather conditions, including strong gusty winds of up to 42 knots and reduced visibility due to heavy rain, impacted runway operations. As per procedure, runway operations were temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and ground personnel."
The airport said normal runway operations resumed at 11.17 am after weather conditions improved.
"The temporary suspension remained in effect for a total of 60 minutes," it added.
Airport sources said four IndiGo flights—two incoming and two outgoing—were cancelled while 13 incoming flights were diverted to neighbouring airports before returning to Mumbai later in the day.
The cancelled flights were Delhi-Mumbai (6E 395), Mumbai-Indore (6E 5273), Indore-Mumbai (6E 552) and Mumbai-Delhi (6E 6612). Airport officials said all diverted aircraft landed safely in Mumbai by late afternoon.
Flight tracking data showed that around 90 per cent of departing flights were delayed by an average of more than an hour, while nearly half of the arriving flights also suffered delays.
Heavy overnight rain left several roads submerged across Mumbai, slowing traffic and affecting public movement. Multiple incidents of tree falls and waterlogging were reported from different parts of the city as civic workers remained engaged in clearing roads and restoring normalcy.
A 63-year-old man died after a tree collapsed on a shop in Kurla. The incident marked the second tree-fall fatality in Mumbai within a week.
Even as civic agencies dealt with widespread rain-related emergencies, a major structural collapse was reported from Mankhurd late on Sunday evening, killing six people.
A ground-plus-three-storey chawl in Janta Nagar, behind Hanuman Mandir, partially collapsed around 8.30 pm.
Teams from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, police, the BMC ward office and the 108 ambulance service rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.
Officials said efforts were underway to locate and rescue those trapped.
Considering the continuing heavy rainfall and the IMD's forecast, the BMC declared a holiday for all government, private and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai on Monday.
"The decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of students," the civic body said in a statement.
Government and private offices, however, will function as usual. The BMC urged citizens to venture outdoors only if absolutely necessary.
Mumbai and its surrounding areas have witnessed intense rainfall over the past several days, leading to extensive waterlogging, repeated tree-fall incidents and disruption of normal life.
The impact of the monsoon extended to neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts, where incessant rain triggered a series of structural collapses, rescue operations and another fatality.
In Navi Mumbai's Vashi Sector 11, a concrete slab from the second-floor balcony of the Ram Niwas Building collapsed, striking three people.
Rajesh Shetty (35) later succumbed to his injuries, while two women sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
Emergency response teams and civic personnel rushed to the spot to secure the area and clear the debris.
In another rain-related tragedy, a 17-year-old boy drowned after being swept away by strong currents in the swollen Kamvari River in Bhiwandi.
The teenager, a resident of Gaibi Nagar, had gone to the riverbank with friends to catch crabs when he was washed away. Search operations were continuing to trace his body.
In Thane city's Diva area, five residents were rescued after a concrete staircase slab in a two-storey building collapsed, blocking the only exit.
Fire brigade personnel safely rescued Pradeep Malusare (50), Prajakta Malusare (42), Chetan Malusare (21), Ganesh Rane (48) and 14-year-old Aroshi Kumdekar before clearing the remaining dangerous debris.
Earlier in the day, a large tree crashed onto two houses in Yashoda Niwas Society in Pachpakhadi, damaging the roofs.
"Work is underway to cut and remove the tree. No one was injured at the scene," said Yasin Tadvi, Chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell.
An eyewitness said a civic worker had a narrow escape when the tree collapsed.
In neighbouring Palghar district, heavy rain led to the collapse of the under-construction compound wall of a housing complex in Vasai.
The wall crashed into an adjoining residential layout, crushing 15 motorcycles parked along the perimeter.
Firefighters from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation cleared the debris. No casualties were reported.
The IMD said a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal had intensified into a depression and was expected to cross the north Odisha coast within the next 24 hours.
The weather system is expected to keep the monsoon active over Maharashtra and several other parts of the country over the coming days.
Authorities have warned of the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall, waterlogging, flooding in low-lying areas, tree falls and disruptions to transport and normal life, while urging residents to remain indoors unless essential and to follow official advisories.
(With inputs from PTI)