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5 dead in Maharashtra rains, IAF, NDRF rescue villagers

Mumbai, Aug 4, 2019-

At least five persons were killed in Mumbai and Satara as rains continued to batter large parts of Maharashtra, especially the coastal Konkan region, on Sunday, hitting train services hit badly. Helicopters rescued 73 people in Thane and boats were deployed to rescue around 400 people stranded in Mumbai suburbs, officials said.

In the state capital, a woman and her son were killed due to electrocution in Santacruz east and a youth was washed away in Dharavi while two persons from Pune drowned in a waterfall in Satara after their vehicle hit a barricade and fell into a flooded drain at Babhalnala early on Sunday.

Following incessant overnight rains, water seeped into many homes in Kranti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Jarimari, Shankarnagar and Bail-bazar areas of Kurla suburb and two teams of the NDRF deployed rubber boats to rescue around 400 residents stranded there.

“They have been temporarily shifted to Bazarwad Municipal School and other schools. Congress activists have also made arrangements for food, water and medical help as required,” local MLA and Congress deputy leader in Assembly Naseem Khan said.

The Indian Air Force deployed a MI-17 helicopter to rescue 58 villagers, including 18 children, from Ju village in neigbouring Thane as they were stranded in rising flood waters.

In another operation, 15 marooned villagers were saved by a MI-17 chopper in Buranda village of Palghar this evening.

The operations were conducted after a request by the Maharashtra government, and all the stranded people have shifted to safer locations at the Air Force Station in Thane, and another location in Palghar, said an official spokesperson.

In Church Road-Dahanukarwadi areas of Kandivali, some locals made temporary rafts of wooden boards to ferry people to nearby areas for replenishing stocks of essentials.

In some villages in Pen of Raigad district, around 60 people were stuck in five-six feet deep water since 4 a.m. on Sunday, were rescued by NDRF teams in boats and similarly 40 saved from marooned Mori village in Palghar this afternoon.

Most schools and college in Thane, Ratnagiri and Pune have declared a holiday on Monday in view of continuing rains.

The Western Railway (WR) services between Vasai-Virar were suspended for several hours as the tracks were flooded, before resuming at reduced speeds after 14.35 pm.

Even Central Railway (CR) services were hit in some sectors like Kurla-Sion due to waterlogging on tracks, breaches in railway lines, and landslides on outstation routes, while its suburban Harbour Line was paralysed.

Owing to boulders falling on railway tracks, the CR cancelled 18 trains, diverted three services and short-terminated seven long-distance trains at various points. Trains like the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express were stuck at Igatpuri since 4 a.m.

Thousands of outstation passengers were stranded at various stations in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar as the train services were disrupted, while hundreds more were stuck in incoming trains that have been halted at various locations en route.

Similar chaos was witnessed on the Konkan Railway with trains getting delayed, inconveniencing thousands of passengers.

Mumbai experienced a 4.86 metres high tide at 2.29 p.m., and the combined effect of the existing waterlogging and continuing rains, led to homes in many parts of the suburbs experiencing fresh flooding this afternoon.

The BMC, NDRF, two columns of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, besides all other agencies are on a high alert for any eventuality in Mumbai and Thane.

A portion of a bridge on Pinjal River in Palghar was washed away on Sunday morning, bringing traffic to a complete halt on both sides, though there are no casualties.

For the second consecutive day, waterlogging has been reported in many areas of Nala Sopara, Vasai, Virar, Vikramgad (Palghar district), Mira Road, Bhayander, Thane City, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Titwala, Ulhasnagar (Thane), Roha, Pali, Mangaon, Karjat, Pen, Panvel (Raigad), and Mandangad, Chiplun, and Dapoli (Ratnagiri).

In Mumbai several vulnerable spots in Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Andheri, Santacruz, Khar, Bandra, Matunga, Parel, Dadar, Kings Circle, Sion, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Bhandup, Mulund and other parts were flooded. However, there were no traffic snarls, since it was a holiday.

Subways in Kandivali, Malad, and Andheri were flooded, hampering traffic movement in the east-west directions.

However, most flights were operating at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with delays of around 30 minutes, said officials.

Till Sunday morning, the IMD said Mumbai city recorded 142 mm rains and the suburbs notched 204 mm.

The BMC’s rain monitors pegged the figure at 116 mm for Mumbai city, and 195 mm for the eastern-western suburbs.

The BMC Disaster Control had issued a warning to people not to venture near the beaches as a very high tide of 4.9 metres will occur at 1.44 p.m. and keep away from all seafronts for the next two days as extremely heavy rains are forecast.  (Agency)

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