MUMBAI: Three people were killed and dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed after severe flooding in India’s financial hub Mumbai, with authorities warning of more heavy monsoon rains yesterday. Mumbai — home to 20 million people — has been hit by torrential downpours over the past two months amid the annual monsoon deluge. Non-stop rain over several hours on Wednesday paralysed traffic, halted trains and delayed airport operations at the western city.
“Two BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) staffers died after falling in rainwater on Wednesday.
Another man drowned in an overflowing Mithi river,” the city’s disaster management cell spokesman Tanaji Kamble told AFP. Residents spoke of being trapped in traffic for several hours amid chaotic scenes.
“It was a nightmare and the entire city came to a standstill,” chartered accountant Kevin Gogri told AFP. Maharashtra state government minister Ashish Shelar said schools would be closed yesterday “as a precautionary measure”.
The city’s residents were bracing for more chaos yesterday with the India Meteorological Department issuing an alert for the “possibility of very heavy rainfall”. – AFP
