Mumbai: Monsoon Death Toll Rises To 5; Schools & Colleges Closed As Heavy Rain Persists

Mumbai: Relentless rain and strong gusty winds continued to lash Mumbai for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, pushing the city's monsoon death toll to five and prompting authorities to declare a holiday for all government, private and municipal schools and colleges on Monday, July 6.

The city has witnessed a series of rain-related tragedies, including deaths caused by tree falls, an open manhole and a building collapse. Three of the five fatalities this monsoon have been attributed to falling trees. Several others have sustained injuries in incidents involving tree falls, short circuits, wall and house collapses, and other rain-related mishaps.

On Sunday afternoon, Yunus Kundawala (63) was killed after a tree crashed onto a shop in Naupada near the BMC Hindi School in Kamani, Kurla West. He was rushed to Fauzia Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh for his family.

A day earlier, Hasan Raza Jahangir Alam Syed (18) lost his life after a tree branch fell on the motorcycle he was riding in Aarey Colony. According to officials, Syed had visited the area with friends to enjoy the monsoon when the branch struck him on the head, leaving him unconscious. He was taken to Balaji Hospital in Malad but was declared dead on arrival. Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

The recent fatalities follow the death of 11-year-old Vihan Shrivastav, who was killed when a tree fell on his school bus in Chembur. Another man died after falling into an open manhole in Sakinaka, while a resident of a MHADA cessed building in Walkeshwar was killed after a balcony collapsed during heavy rainfall.

In the wake of the incidents, the BMC has suspended seven civic officials. Three officers were suspended in connection with the Chembur tree-fall tragedy, while four officials, including an Assistant Municipal Commissioner, were suspended following the Sakinaka open manhole death.

According to the BMC's Disaster Management Department, heavy rain accompanied by wind speeds of 72 to 75 kmph resulted in 276 complaints of tree and branch collapses during the 24-hour period between 5 pm on Saturday and 5 pm on Sunday. Of these, 142 were actual incidents of tree or branch falls.

"Civic employees responded promptly to all complaints, with priority given to clearing fallen trees and branches obstructing roads and restoring traffic movement," a BMC official said.

Meanwhile, a vacant three-storey building collapsed on Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road near Worli Dairy amid the heavy downpour. No injuries were reported in the incident.

The BMC said Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed the entire civic machinery to remain on high alert. "All department heads, engineers, pump operators, health workers and emergency response teams have been deployed across the city. At present, around 10,000 civic employees are working on the ground, continuously monitoring the situation and undertaking emergency measures," the civic body said in a statement issued on Sunday evening.

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