Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
2 die of electrocution in rain mayhem
MUMBAI: Two people, one of them a railway employee, died of electrocution amid the record rain that pounded the city, according to officials.
Shambhu Soni, 38, a resident of Anand Nagar in Dahisar (East), was electrocuted by a short circuit at 9.46am on Wednesday and he was rushed to Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar hospital in Kandivli, where he was declared brought dead. A railway employee identified by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as Sanjeev, 22, was electrocuted to death while on duty near Masjid Bunder railway station on Wednesday. Officials said that the tracks at the station were submerged under 1.5 feet of water , following which Sanjeev got into the waterlogged area to inspect a pump placed by BMC.
Sanjeev got electrocuted at 3.45pm and was rushed to Bombay Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
The downpour of 331.2mm rain in 24 hours, accompanied by chaotic winds ranging from 70-80kmph, between Wednesday and Thursday not only broke the 24-hour rain record for this monsoon season, but also was the highest rainfall for south Mumbai in 46 years.
It was the second-highest 24-hour rainfall ever during the monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. The all-time record rain was on July 5, 1974 — 575.6mm in 24 hours. The Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 331.2mm (exceptionally heavy) rain between 8.30am Wednesday and 8.30am Thursday. This was the all-time single-day high in August. Over the past 72 hours (August 3, 8.30am to August 6, 8.30am), Mumbai saw its heaviest rain spell this season, with the island city recording 637.2mm rain and suburbs witnessing 505.2 mm rain.