Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds wreaked havoc in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, on Monday, claiming the lives of at least eight people and injuring dozens more. The city was battered by the storm, with trees uprooted, power outages reported, and a tragic incident involving a large billboard toppling onto a crowd seeking shelter.
The incident occurred in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, where rescue workers from India’s national disaster force and local police officers rushed to free those trapped in the rubble. Shocking videos on social media captured the moment the billboard shook in the storm before crashing down on the unsuspecting victims.
One witness, Swapnil Khupte, recounted the harrowing experience of being trapped under the collapsed billboard with women and children. He described how they managed to help each other escape from the debris, highlighting the chaos and danger of the situation.
Mumbai, a city of over 18 million people, is no stranger to monsoon-related disasters due to its geographical location on a peninsula surrounded by the sea. The monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, often brings heavy rains, flooding, and tragic accidents like the one witnessed on Monday.
The aftermath of the storm also saw 64 people injured and admitted to the hospital, with one individual in critical condition. The city’s infrastructure was severely affected, with flights being diverted and operations suspended at the Mumbai airport due to dust storms and inclement weather.
While the rains provided some relief from the scorching heat, they also brought chaos and disruption to the city, leading to long traffic jams and inundated areas. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable and destructive nature of extreme weather events in India, which have become increasingly common in recent years.
