Mumbai rains: At least 31 killed after heavy rain hits the city

[ad_1]

Twenty-one people were killed in the Mumbai suburb of Chempur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, while 10 people were killed in the Vikruli suburb, according to Satya Pradhan, director general of India’s National Disaster Response Force.

Rescue efforts continued through the night, with workers digging through mud and debris to find survivors.

The city’s municipal authority said on Twitter that the water supply in Mumbai was also affected after the water purification complex was flooded. She added that thunderstorms and “extremely heavy rain” would continue in isolated places.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the dead.

“Sad at the loss of life due to the collapse of walls in Champur and Vikruli in Mumbai,” Modi wrote on Twitter. “In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.”

In the 24 hours ending Monday morning local time, Mumbai airport recorded more than 250 mm (9.8 inches) of rain, according to data analyzed by CNN Weather.

Mumbai, a city of 12 million people, experiences heavy rain regularly during the monsoon season from July to September. Rainfall often causes buildings to collapse – particularly in poorer areas known to have illegal or poorly built housing.

According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, central India saw a threefold rise in prevalent extreme rain events from 1950 to 2015. Long droughts were broken up by bursts of torrential rain, leaving hundreds of thousands exposed to the risks that come with it. . In July 2019, at least 43 people were killed by torrential rains in the city. A dam that exploded near Ratnagiri district devastated seven villages, and in 2005 floods in Maharashtra killed more than 1,000 people – including 410 from Mumbai, according to a study by the United Nations Settlements Program Humanity. The Indian Meteorological Service recorded 940 mm (37 inches) of rain in the city, making it one of the worst extreme weather events the city has seen. .

[ad_2]