Malad wall collapse: Death toll mounts to 18, CM visits injured

At least 18 people were killed while 13 others sustained injuries after a wall collapsed in Malad area of the city on Tuesday amid heavy downpour.

The compound wall of a building, located in Kurar village, collapsed on hutments on a hill slope in the wee hours.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of State for Urban Development Yogesh Sagar visited Shatabdi Hospital to meet the injured.

Fadnavis also took stock of the situation in the rain-drenched city during a visit to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) control room.

The chief minister told reporters that the administration, police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are keeping a close watch on the situation.

"Last night, unprecedented rainfall was witnessed in Mumbai which led to several mishaps. In Malad, slums were destroyed after a wall collapsed and 30-40 people were injured. I personally met them today at the hospital," he said.

Fadnavis said forces are on alert as high tide is expected.

"The western line (of the local train services) is operational, but the central line has been shut due to flooding. This morning, we declared a day's holiday for all so that Mumbaikars can stay safe. Overall traffic is under control. We are trying to pump out water. In the next two days, the India Meteorological Office (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall, and we are closely monitoring the situation," he said.

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar also visited the BMC this morning to monitor the situation.

Torrential downpour in the city has caused widespread mayhem and panic, with over 20 people dead in rain-related incidents.

Several trains have been cancelled while select others have been short terminated due to the incessant rains.

In a statement, the Western Railway said due to heavy rains and water logging on tracks in Palghar, 19023 Janta Express, 19015 Saurashtra Express and 11104 Bandra T-Jhansi Express have been rescheduled, while 12935 Bandra T-Surat Intercity stands cancelled.

Sixteen mainline trains have been regulated at various stations in the Mumbai division due to heavy rain in Virar, Nallasopara and Palghar stations. The water level is above 150 mm on rail level, the railways said.

Due to water logging on tracks at Nallasopara, Virar and Palghar, train numbers 12904, 22904, 22928,12962, 12902, 19208, 19218, 22944,12928, 12264, 19424, 12450,19020, 59442, 12298 and 12268 have been stopped at various stations.

As many as 54 flights have been diverted to nearby airports while 52 others have been cancelled as rains continued to lash Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, an airport official said.