Monsoon kills 85 in Maharashtra, Gujarat

Monsoon kills 85 in Maharashtra, Gujarat
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

MUMBAI, JULY 13: At least 85 people died in incessant rains that continued to pound Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat today crippling normal life with Mumbai bearing the brunt of the monsoon fury.

Eighty people died in Maharashtra and five in central and north Gujarat as heavy downpours disrupted rail and road traffic and inundated many areas, police and fire-brigade said.

In worst-hit Mumbai, 50 people, including six women and 10 girls, were killed and 40 injured in a mudslide triggered by torrential rains at Chrag Nagar last evening.

Many areas in North-West and North-East Mumbai were plunged into darkness last night with the Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply Company switching off a number of sub-stations and feeders as a safety measure.

With rains showing no sign of abating, the State Government declared a holiday for colleges and schools in Mumbai today.

Heavy rains pelted central and north Gujarat today throwing normal out of gear, reports said.

Four youth, including a girl, were swept away in rain-swollen Sabarmati river and a canal in Dani Limda while a 21-year-old woman was killed in a wall collapse at Kapadwada village in Navsari district.

Several low-lying areas in Ahmedabad were under knee-deep water, the reports said. Railway sources said rail traffic on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route was affected due to rains and landslides.