New Delhi: The southwest monsoon brought much-needed relief from the lingering heat across several parts of the country but also left in its wake a trail of death and disruption on Thursday, with at least six people killed in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Heavy showers triggered flash floods, landslides, traffic disruptions and weather alerts across several states.
In Mumbai, a 55-year-old man died after falling into an open manhole amid heavy rain, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to suspend four civic officials and order a high-level inquiry.
Three persons were killed in separate rain-related accidents in Shimla and Chamba districts.
while one death was reported in Mandi district, according to State Emergency Operations Centre data.
A bus conductor named Gyan Chand, a resident of Mandi district, was killed in the Udaipur area of Lahaul and Spiti district after falling stones from a hillside hit him, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre.
Heavy rainfall also triggered flash floods in Chamba district, washing away a temporary wooden bridge near a temple in the Bharmour subdivision and leaving around 30 pilgrims stranded, officials said.
The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places across the state from July 2 to 5, except on July 3.
Heavy rain since early Thursday inundated several parts of Mumbai, including Dadar, Parel, Hindmata, Charkop, Worli, Goregaon and Andheri, slowing vehicular traffic and disrupting the morning commute. Local train services were delayed by 10-15 minutes due to water accumulation on tracks, leading to overcrowding during peak hours.
After days of hovering on the capital’s doorstep, the monsoon finally arrived in Delhi, five days behind its normal onset date, bringing rain, overcast skies, a drop in temperatures and marking the city’s first July onset in five years.
Parts of the city received rainfall and cloudy skies, bringing relief and a drop in temperatures after days of heat waves and humidity.
The arrival also marks the first July onset of the monsoon over Delhi since 2021, when it reached the national capital on July 13. The IMD declared the onset of the monsoon over the region after favourable atmospheric conditions developed.
Even as heavy rain continued to batter several regions, authorities across states stepped up preparedness measures to minimise monsoon-related damage.
