Heavy rains pounded Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and coastal Konkan for two consecutive days, hitting suburban train services and disrupting normal life.
In a rare development, many parts of south Mumbai like Churchgate, Marine Lines, Marine Drive, Kalbadevi, Dongri, Byculla, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli, Dadar and surrounding areas witnessed heavy waterlogging, throwing the central business districts of the area out of gear.
As Mumbaikars shared their monsoon ordeal on social media, a video of strong tidal waves consuming a bridge has been doing rounds as footage of the ‘Bandra-Worli sea link’.
However, according to reports, this is an old video that turns up every year, and has nothing to do with the maximum city.
Major landmarks like the Bombay Stock Exchange's (BSE) Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Tower suffered the brunt of the rain fury when its massive signboard on the 29th floor got ripped off and hung precariously.
Some sections of a cement cladding adorning the exteriors of the Jaslok Hospital in south Mumbai were blown off and fell in pieces on the road below, but there were no reports of any casualties.
In some areas, water rushed into ground-floor homes, shops or offices in south Mumbai as incessant rains continued all day.
The roof and metal supports of the iconic D.Y. Patil cricket stadium in Navi Mumbai were badly damaged in the strong winds and rain.
In some areas in south Mumbai, Kandivali, Dahisar, Kurla, Parel, Dadar, Wadala and Sion, water rushed into ground-floor homes, shops or offices as incessant rains continued all day, and the subways in Dahisar, Malad and Andheri were flooded, preventing east-west movement of traffic.
Two persons suffered injuries in a minor house crash in Bhandup, while there were more than 150 incidents of tree crashes in the city, and 10 incidents of electric short-circuits, but there were no fatalities.
Huge traffic snarls were witnessed in south Mumbai with trees falling on some roads in Churchgate, Marine Lines, Charni Road and Worli, hitting vehicular traffic on the Eastern Express Highway and the Western Express Highway.
With thousands of commuters getting stranded, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday evening said that it had made arrangements for people at the nearest civic schools outside the major railway stations.
Heavy rains also lashed the adjoining coastal districts of Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg since the past 24 hours.
In Ratnagiri and Raigad, more than 25 villages in two sub-districts remained cut-off, while in Mahad town in Ratnagiri, rubber boats were deployed by disaster agencies to rescue several families stranded in at least four feet water.
Rains pounded Palghar and Thane causing waterlogging in many towns like Mira Road, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Naigaon, Vasai, Virar and Dahanu, hitting people in a big way.
The IMD has forecast heavy to extremely heavy spells of rain in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan area in the next 24 hours.