Over 100 people stranded due flood water moved to safety in Thane district amid heavy rains

Thane, Jul 7 (PTI) More than 100 people were rescued from parts of Thane district of Maharashtra as heavy rains on Tuesday led to water-logging and flooding in several areas, and also triggered incidents of landslide and tree collapse, officials said. Intermittent heavy showers have been lashing the district over the past few days. Over 100 people from Bhiwandi and Murbad in the district were moved to safe locations after water entered their houses, they said. The downpour severely disrupted traffic as floodwaters submerged several bridges, including those in Rundhe, Jyu, and Chikhale, forcing authorities to close them. Landslides reported in the Kasara and Malshej Ghats were promptly cleared by the National Highways Authority to restore vehicular movement. The district recorded an average rainfall of 70.75 mm, with Ulhasnagar receiving the highest at 106 mm during the day, the officials said. According to the District Disaster Management Authority's 6 pm report, the Kalu river in Titwala town crossed the warning level. A 25-year-old woman was seriously injured after a tree collapsed on her and a parked car in Yashodhan Nagar area of Thane on Tuesday evening, officials said. The incident occurred around 6.30 pm. The victim, identified as Drushti Kadam, a resident of Wagle Estate, was walking on the road when the tree fell, trapping her and heavily damaging a parked car. Rescue teams rushed to the spot. Kadam sustained severe back injuries and was shifted to a private hospital for treatment. Disaster management personnel cleared the tree and reopened the road for traffic. According to officials, between July 1 and July 7, rain-related incidents claimed the lives of three persons, left nine injured nine, while two others went missing. Fatalities included a balcony collapse in Navi Mumbai, a tree fall in Mira Bhayandar, and an incident of drowning in Chikhloli dam. Search operations are currently underway in Bhiwandi for two missing boys, aged 13 and 17, who were washed away in floodwaters. The police in Padgha under the Thane district rural police led by senior police inspector Pankaj Giri went into the flood waters and rescued some local villagers who were stranded in their homes. In a video, Giri is seen carrying two children on his shoulders and wading his way through flood waters. At Kalyan, the compound wall of the health centre of the local civic body collapsed due to heavy rains. In Kalyan, the Youth Congress activists carried out agitation to condemn the administration's "failure" on all fronts to manage the floods by squatting in rain water in the Shivaji Chowk. PTI COR NP