An early-morning tragedy has struck Mumbai's Mankhurd area, where two to three dwellings within an illegal four-storey ("ground-plus-three") structure in the Janata Nagar locality suddenly caved in, collapsing "like a house of cards."
Six people have died in the incident, whilst one person has been seriously injured and remains under hospital treatment. A rescue operation is currently under way.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), four women and one man were brought to hospital following the collapse, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. Another individual died whilst receiving treatment at Rajawadi Hospital. One further injured person is still being treated.
The Meteorological Department has reported that several parts of Mumbai received between 200 and 300mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours. An orange alert has been issued for Monday, with warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and potential waterlogging.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression and is expected to make landfall along the Odisha coast within the next 24 hours. This is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall across several parts of the country, including Maharashtra, over the coming days.
Authorities have urged residents to step out only when absolutely necessary, to avoid waterlogged areas, and to follow guidance issued by the weather department and local administration.
Heavy rain also fell across Mumbai on Sunday, causing waterlogging in several areas and resulting in traffic congestion. In light of the downpour, the BMC has declared a holiday on Monday for all government, private and BMC-run schools and colleges in Mumbai, though government and private offices will operate as normal.