Heavy rains hit Kolkata and Mumbai

Seven people, including six of a family, were killed today as torrential rains lashed Kolkata and adjoining districts, affecting rail and road traffic.

Six deaths occurred in adjoining South 24 Parganas district and one in the metropolis.

A rickshaw puller, his wife, three sons and a daughter were killed when their hut collapsed in the rains at Nohazari village in South 24 Parganas district early Tuesday morning.

The condition of another daughter who has been hospitalised was stated to be critical, they said.

In the metropolis, one person was killed in a wall collapse at Entally in central Kolkata, they said.

Kolkata recorded 112 mm of rain since Monday night, with the downpour continuing this morning as roads, including many arterial ones under knee deep to waist deep water.

State and private buses were on the roads, but in few in number.

Severe water-logging was also reported from adjoining North and South 24 Parganas districts.

Local train services in the Sealdah South section were affected with the tracks flooded, railway sources said.

Mumbai:

Heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds lashed this city and its suburbs on Tuesday while intermittent rainfall continued in surrounding areas.

Road, air and rail services were largely unaffected as there were only a few incidents of water-logging, authorities said.

However, several trees were uprooted by the strong winds, affecting vehicular traffic for a while.

The spokesperson for Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport said there was no water-logging at the airport and everything was functioning normally.

There are no delays or disruptions due to the weather, he said.

Fast commuter trains were operating with a delay of 15 minutes on the Central lines and trains on the Harbour and Western lines were running on schedule, railway officials said.

The weather bureau recorded 95 mm of rainfall at Colaba observatory in south Mumbai in the 24 hours till 8.30 am while Santa Cruz recorded 30.3 mm of rains.

There will be thundershowers and occasional heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds till Wednesday morning, the met office said.