Mumbai, July 7: At least 13 people have lost their lives and 10 others have been injured after torrential rain accompanied by strong winds triggered floods, landslides and widespread destruction across Maharashtra over the past two days, prompting large-scale rescue operations and the issuance of red alerts in vulnerable hill regions.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the intense rainfall has also damaged around 100 houses, leaving hundreds of people homeless as floodwaters inundated several districts. Authorities have intensified emergency response measures as rivers continue to swell and infrastructure remains under pressure.
Rainfall data over the last 24 to 48 hours underscored the severity of the weather system. Lonavala recorded 625 mm of rainfall in 48 hours, while Raigad received 236 mm in the past 24 hours. Thane registered 161 mm, Ratnagiri 152 mm, Palghar 132 mm and various parts of Mumbai recorded between 100 mm and 161 mm of rainfall.
Several rivers have crossed critical levels, aggravating the flood situation. The Ulhas, Kalu and Pinjal rivers crossed warning levels, while the Amba, Savitri, Kundalika, Patalganga, Jagbudi and Ulhas rivers breached danger marks. Flood alerts have consequently been issued for Badlapur, Mohane and Jambhulpada.
Mumbai accounted for the highest death toll, with six people killed and one injured after a building collapsed onto a slum settlement in Mankhurd. Another person died in the city’s suburbs after a tree fell during the storm.
In Thane, two people were injured when part of a building collapsed. Separate drowning incidents claimed one life each in Palghar and Sindhudurg. High-velocity winds also caused 30 houses to collapse in Sindhudurg. In Satara, a landslide killed one person and injured four others.
The India Meteorological authorities have issued a red alert for hill stations including Matheran, Lonavala, Khopoli and Lohagad because of the heightened risk of landslides following continuous heavy rainfall.
Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to vulnerable locations. In Pune district’s Mawal taluka, four people became trapped after a landslide struck a house in Patan. In another rescue operation near Talegaon-Dabhade, NDRF personnel safely evacuated all 25 passengers after a bus became stranded in floodwaters.
In Raigad district’s Sudhagad taluka, six members of a family, including a six-month-old infant, were rescued by boat after rising floodwaters left them stranded on the roof of their house as road access to the village was cut off.
Heavy rain also severely disrupted road connectivity across western Maharashtra. A landslide in Kashedi Ghat brought traffic on the Mumbai-Goa Highway to a standstill. Landslides and severe waterlogging temporarily suspended traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Khopoli Highway before authorities restored movement later in the day. Flooding and landslides also affected the Mawal and Tamhini Ghats, forcing traffic to be diverted.
While western and coastal Maharashtra battled severe flooding, the Vidarbha region remained largely dry. Districts including Wardha, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal and Chandrapur recorded no rainfall during the same period, highlighting the sharp contrast in monsoon activity across the state.
