Maharashtra monsoon rains: Pune landslide kills three; Mumbai transport and schools disrupted

Heavy rain across Maharashtra on Monday disrupted travel and daily routines in Mumbai and Pune. In Pune district, a landslide buried a home in Patan village in Maval. Three family members died. Officials said rescue teams moved nearly 300 people to safer places across affected areas.

Representative image

Authorities issued a red alert for Mumbai after an India Meteorological Department warning. Schools and colleges stayed shut on Monday as a precaution. The Maharashtra government advised private offices to allow work from home. It also declared a half-day for staff in non-essential government and semi-government offices.

Maharashtra heavy rain disrupts Mumbai-Pune transport

Relentless showers threw road and rail networks out of gear in the Mumbai-Pune region. The 94-km Mumbai-Pune Expressway faced major disruption. Roads looked like rivers in several areas, and trees fell. Landslides forced closures on key routes, including the Lonavala-Karjat rail section.

The Pune-Mumbai Expressway shut between the Connecting Link and Missing Link sections. Officials said a concrete pillar fell on the carriageway. The old Pune-Mumbai highway also closed due to overflowing water at many points. Work continued to clear landslides near the Missing Link section to restore traffic.

Train services on the busy Mumbai-Pune route stopped early Monday. Officials said landslides hit the Karjat-Lonavala Bhor Ghat section. Central Railway also suspended local trains between Karjat and Khopoli. Heavy rain washed away ballast between Lowjee and Dolavli stations, affecting track safety.

Western Railway operations suffered due to waterlogging and heavy rain. Officials said over 20 long-distance trains were stranded across Mumbai and south Gujarat. More than 40 services were affected. A WR spokesperson said at least eight trains were rescheduled, 10 cancelled, and others diverted or short-terminated.

Maharashtra heavy rain affects flights and Mumbai airport diversions

Bad weather also affected air travel in Mumbai. Officials said five incoming flights were diverted until 3:30pm on Monday. In a statement, Mumbai International Airport listed the diversions. IndiGo flights 6E 595 Raipur - Mumbai and 6E 1340 Singapore - Mumbai went to Hyderabad.

The airport statement said Akasa Air QP 1110 Delhi - Mumbai diverted to Ahmedabad. Air Indias AI 2772Kolkata - Mumbai diverted to Bengaluru. Oman Airs WY 203 Muscat - Mumbai diverted to Vadodara. Officials linked the changes to poor visibility and unsafe conditions over the city.

Maharashtra heavy rain leaves Mumbai with damage and strong winds

Mumbai saw strong winds, with speeds reaching about 90 kmph on Monday. Officials said Tuesday winds were higher than 50-60 kmph. During the day, 291 incidents of tree or branch fall were reported. A fireman was injured while clearing a large uprooted tree, officials added.

In Thane city, officials said a large billboard and two walls collapsed in separate incidents. In neighbouring Palghar, strong winds tore away tin-roofed sheds at a residential school. Trees also fell there. Officials said all 350 students at the establishment remained safe.

Maharashtra heavy rain triggers Pune district rescues and evacuations

Pune district reported heavy rainfall across many circles. The district administration said 27 revenue circles received over 65 mm of rain. Maval recorded the highest at 237.3 mm. In Talegaon, the fire brigade rescued 30 employees stranded in a company bus, officials said.

Officials said 250 residents of Taje village were shifted to safer locations as a precaution. In Haveli tehsil, nearly two dozen people from five families were evacuated from Bhavadi village. In Alandi, pilgrims in temple premises and dharamshalas were moved after the Indrayani river rose.

Maharashtra heavy rain brings Mumbai rainfall figures and civic response

The BMC monsoon report gave rainfall totals between 8 am and 6 pm. Mumbai recorded an average of 28.2 mm in that period. The eastern suburbs recorded 61.75 mm. The western suburbs recorded 65.45 mm. Officials said waterlogging and tree falls slowed movement across many areas.

Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said 13 people have died in the last three to four days in rain-related incidents. A red alert for heavy rains has been sounded for the next two days, he added. The warning kept response teams on standby across vulnerable districts.

State institutions also adjusted operations due to the weather. Both houses of the state legislature were adjourned amid heavy showers. The Bombay High Court said no adverse orders would be passed if lawyers could not reach court. Officials said these steps aimed to reduce travel risks during peak rainfall.

Before the adjournment, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the situation in the assembly. "The entire disaster management machinery, municipal corporations and other agencies are on the ground. We are in an alert mode,\" he added. Officials said agencies continued clear-up work and monitored landslide-prone stretches.

The Missing Link is a 13-km bypass through the Sahyadri mountains. It reduces travel distance by 6 km. On Monday, landslides and debris affected this corridor and nearby rail routes. Officials said clearance and repair work was underway, while alerts and closures remained in place for safety.

With inputs from PTI