Heavy monsoon rains have paralysed Mumbai, India’s financial hub, flooding streets and disrupting land, air and road traffic.
Dozens of flights and local train services were cancelled on Tuesday as rains drenched the coastal city of nearly 20 million people.
Mumbai has been experiencing incessant heavy downpours since Saturday morning.
In three hours on Tuesday morning, Mumbai suburbs recorded 86mm of rains, just 2mm short of what was recorded over the previous 24 hours. Some areas have received more than 100mm of rain since Sunday.
Floods have killed more than 1,000 people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh in recent weeks and forced millions from their homes in the region’s worst monsoon disaster in recent years.
With roads clogged, schools closed early along with some offices, and the evening rush hour saw people wading through knee-deep water on their way home or stuck in stranded vehicles for hours.
The meteorological department has warned that the Mumbai rains would continue for the next 24 hours, prompting schools to remain closed until Wednesday.
Citizens were asked by authorities to stay indoors, except for emergencies and fishermen advised to exercise caution.
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, urged residents to take all the necessary precautions in the wake of the chaos.
The National Disaster Response Force launched a rescue mission with police to evacuate people from low-lying areas.
“The heavy rains, flooding, are delaying our rescue work. Even we are stranded,” Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police, told Reuters news agency.
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