Mumbai rains paralyse commuters stranded, schools and colleges shut down
PTC News Desk: Heavy rains lashed Mumbai this evening, causing widespread flooding, traffic jams, and flight disruptions. Many roads in the financial capital were submerged, with vehicles moving slowly through the waterlogged streets. In response to the situation, the Mumbai municipal agency declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Thursday.
Several airlines, including SpiceJet, IndiGo, and Vistara, confirmed that flights had to be diverted due to the adverse weather conditions. Vistara announced that flight No. UK534, traveling from Hyderabad to Mumbai, was forced to return to Hyderabad due to poor weather at Mumbai airport, where it was expected to land at 9:15 PM. Another flight, UK941, from Delhi to Mumbai, was also diverted to Hyderabad, with an expected arrival time of 9:10 PM.
#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather (heavy rain) in Mumbai (BOM), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via https://t.co/VkU7yLjrw0.
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) September 25, 2024
SpiceJet warned passengers via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Due to bad weather (heavy rain) in Mumbai, all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a weather alert for Mumbai and its surrounding districts, predicting “extremely heavy rainfall” through Thursday morning. Several suburbs, including Mulund, recorded heavy rainfall since the afternoon, resulting in severe flooding in low-lying areas.
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Tragically, in Andheri, a woman fell into an open manhole and lost her life. Authorities launched a search operation, and her body was later recovered.
According to the IMD’s 5:30 PM forecast, the city is expected to experience “extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds” in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Ratnagiri districts.
IMD scientist Sushma Nair explained that a trough extending from north Konkan to south Bangladesh, combined with a cyclonic circulation over south Chhattisgarh, is responsible for the current weather conditions. “This will lead to fairly widespread to widespread light or moderate rainfall, very likely over Konkan and Goa throughout the week,” she said in a statement to PTI.
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