Over 31 Persons Killed Following Torrential Rainfall In India

Over 31 lives have been lost after torrential rain flooded Mumbai, India late on Sunday, July 18.

Twenty-one people died in the Mumbai suburb of Chembur, in India's western state of Maharashtra, while 10 people were killed in the suburb of Vikhroli, according to Satya Pradhan, India's National Disaster Response Force Director-General following the rainfall that triggered landslides that crushed cars and houses while leaving neighborhoods devastated.

According to India's National Disaster Response Force, rescue efforts continued through the night, with workers digging through mud and debris to find survivors.

Reports also say Mumbai's water supply was also affected after a purification complex flooded, the city's municipal corporation said on Twitter.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of those killed.

"Saddened by the loss of lives due to wall collapses in Chembur and Vikhroli in Mumbai," Modi wrote on Twitter.

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families."

 As at Monday morning local time, Mumbai's airport recorded more than 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) of rainfall.

This is not the first time, India is suffering from rainfall-related deaths.

In July 2019, at least 43 people were killed by heavy rains in the city while in 2005, flooding in the state of Maharashtra killed more than 1,000 people including 410 from Mumbai.