Landslides Force Suspension of Mumbai-Pune Trains; Six Killed in Building Collapse
Train services on the Mumbai-Pune route were suspended early Monday after heavy rains triggered landslides in the Karjat-Lonavala Bhor Ghat section, Central Railway officials said.
A landslide occurred near Thakurwadi in the ghat section, and another on the middle line between Khandala and Monkey Hill at around 3.05 am, according to Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway. All three railway lines were affected, forcing the cancellation, diversion, and regulation of several long-distance trains.
Meanwhile, at least six people died and one was injured when a three-storey chawl (row tenement) collapsed in Mumbai's Mankhurd area late Sunday night, officials reported. The collapse was attributed to the heavy rains.
Authorities declared a holiday for all government, private, and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, and Palghar on Monday as persistent heavy rainfall continued across the region.
The monsoon season has brought intensified rainfall to western India, leading to multiple incidents of landslides and building collapses. Rescue operations are ongoing in affected areas.
