Three dead as monsoon deluge sparks Mumbai chaos

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 on Thursday.

Mumbai — home to 20 million people — has been hit by torrential downpours over the past two months amid the annual monsoon deluge.

People wade through a flooded road after a heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Wednesday.

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.

Men push an auto-rickshaw through a flooded road after a heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Wednesday.

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.

Commuters walk on a flooded street after a heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Maharashtra state government minister Ashish Shelar said schools would be closed on Thursday “as a precautionary measure.”

The city’s residents were bracing for more chaos on Thursday with the India Meteorological Department issuing an alert for the “possibility of very heavy rainfall.”

Agence France-Presse