Monsoon mayhem in Mumbai: 4 killed, traffic hit for 4th day

A person was electrocuted and three were killed after being struck by lightning as rain pounded Mumbai and many parts of Maharashtra for the fourth consecutive day, disrupting normal life and hitting air, road and rail traffic, officials said on Monday.

A 30-year-old man, Mohammed Ayub Kazi, was electrocuted inside his home in Shivajinagar, Govandi suburb in north-east Mumbai. He was rushed to the Rajawadi Hospital where he was declared dead.

Three others, including a woman, were killed and two injured after being struck by lightning as they took shelter from heavy rain in a shed in Solapur on Monday afternoon.

“The five victims were waiting for the rains to subside in a shed near the Mandrup village when suddenly lightning struck them. The three killed are Parvati M. Kore, 55, Chatursingh J. Rajpu, 41 and Sanket D. Chormule, 17. The other two have been rushed to the district hospital,” Mandrup police official Baburao Rathod told IANS.

The India Meteorology Department (IMD) predicted heavy downpour for the day. “Widespread rainfall with scattered heavy to very heavy falls and isolated extremely heavy falls most likely to continue over Konkan and Goa (including Mumbai) till 6 August and over Madhya Maharashtra (ghat areas) till 5 August and reduce thereafter,” the IMD tweeted.

The Met department has specially warned the Konkan region. “Konkan — very heavy to very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rains possible in next 24 hours. North Konkan the impact could be more, Thane Mumbai, Palghar. Parts of S Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining Marathwada region are likely to get very heavy falls, along with intense spells,” it said.

Overnight heavy spells of rain inundated at least 137 spots all over Mumbai, including Dadar, Sion, Matunga, Parel, Wadala, Mahim, Santacruz, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Malad, Dahisar and virtually halted all traffic movement, leading to huge traffic snarls since daybreak.