63-year-old dies as tree collapses on shop amid heavy Mumbai rains

63-year-old dies after tree collapses on shop as incessant rain wreaks havoc in Mumbai

Mumbai, July 5

The deceased, identified as Yunus Kundawala (63), was rushed to Fauzia Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

According to civic authorities, the incident was reported at 12:40 pm near Hindi BMC School at Gomes Gown Building in Kamani, Kurla (West), where a tree collapsed onto a shop.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), police, BEST and ward staff were mobilised to the spot for rescue and clearance operations.

Earlier, a man fell into an open manhole amid heavy rainfall in the Sakinaka area of Andheri East. The authorities identified the deceased victim as Aslam Isak Shaikh, a resident of Yadav Nagar in Sakinaka.

Police have registered a case against a contractor and workers engaged in drainage repair work after the 55-year-old man died, officials said on Friday. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the incident occurred while repair work on a water drainage grill was being carried out.

The victim was a pedestrian who accidentally fell into the drainage through an open manhole while the maintenance work was in progress. The BMC further stated that although his body has been located, efforts are currently underway to recover it.

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai throughout the day, with high tides witnessed along Marine Drive and the Gateway of India. Visuals from different parts of the city showed rough sea conditions as incessant rainfall continued to affect normal life.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai and the adjoining Raigad district.

Further, in another incident in Mumbai, a tree uprooted by strong winds fell on three parked cars in the Bandra area. No injuries were reported.

An eyewitness, who works as a security guard at the premises where the incident occurred, told ANI, "There were four cars here in total. One of them has already left. The tree, which was located inside the premises, fell after strong winds blew. I work as the security guard here. It is a very old tree; it has been here for about 10 years. People park their cars here. One car managed to leave, but the others are trapped. Fortunately, there was no one around or inside the vehicles."

In Pune's Wakdewadi area, a huge tree collapsed on vehicles, causing extensive damage. Local residents rushed to rescue people trapped inside the affected vehicles.

Recalling the incident, one of the rescued persons told ANI, "When we stopped here because of the traffic, the tree soon fell. I was with my whole family. Everyone is wounded a bit, but not that much."

According to the weather department, some parts of Mumbai have recorded more than 250-300 mm of rainfall over the last 23 hours, and moderate to intense spells of rain are expected to continue.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, Kolhapur district recorded an average rainfall of 52.8 mm during the last 24 hours, although authorities said there was no immediate flood threat as river levels remained below warning marks and transport services continued to function normally.

According to the district administration's daily situation report, Gaganbawda recorded the highest rainfall at 143.1 mm, followed by Bhudargad (85.9 mm), Radhanagari (81 mm), Ajra (67.6 mm), Chandgad (65.3 mm), Kagal (60.2 mm), Panhala (58.3 mm), Shahuwadi (46.9 mm), Gadhinglaj (43.4 mm), Karveer (40.1 mm), Hatkanangale (20.9 mm) and Shirol (16.8 mm).

The administration said rail traffic was operating normally and no rail services had been disrupted. National Highway traffic also remained unaffected.

However, heavy rainfall disrupted traffic on seven roads across the district, including two state highways, two major district roads, two village roads and one other district road. Authorities said the situation was under constant monitoring.

The Panchganga River was flowing at 28 feet 3 inches at Rajaram Bandhara, 36 feet at Shirol Bandhara and 31 feet at Nrusinhwadi. Officials said water levels at all three locations remained below the warning mark, indicating there was no immediate threat of flooding in riverside areas.

According to the report, 31 of Kolhapur's 299 dams are submerged. The Radhanagari Dam is at 32 per cent storage capacity with all its automatic gates closed. Water storage stands at 38 per cent in Tulshi Dam, 24 per cent in Warna Dam and 8 per cent in Dudhganga Dam.

Authorities said 100 cusecs of water is currently being released from both the Warna and Dudhganga dams. No families have been relocated as there has been no need for evacuation.

The district administration, Disaster Management Authority, Revenue Department, police and other concerned agencies remain on alert and are continuously monitoring the situation while implementing necessary safety measures.

Earlier, a balcony of a dilapidated building in Belapur village in Navi Mumbai collapsed amid continuous rainfall. The building was reported to be in a severely dilapidated condition. Several parts of Thane city also witnessed waterlogging.

— ANI