Heavy rain began battering India's financial capital Mumbai beginning early on Monday causing mass disruptions to the local commuter train network and delaying flights from the country's second-busiest airport.
According to the broadcaster NDTV, the main runway at Mumbai Airport remains closed on Tuesday after a SpiceJet flight overshot its mark while landing amid heavy rainfall at around 11:45 p.m. on Monday. A Boeing 737-800 is reportedly still stranded at the end of the runway. A secondary runway is operational but flights are likely to be delayed, according to NDTV.
"Spicejet SG 6237 Jaipur-Mumbai flight overshoots runway while landing at Mumbai Airport. All passengers are safe, no injuries reported", a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement, quoted by NDTV.
Last night's @flyspicejet. #fwd. #MumbaiRainsLive pic.twitter.com/Rp8Ck5bQMv
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) 2 июля 2019 г.
Heavy rainfall overnight reportedly forced as many as 55 flights to be diverted to nearby airports including Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, while 52 flights were cancelled.
According to police, the rain also caused a wall collapse that killed 15 people in Mumbai.
The country's airlines earlier warned of mass flight cancellations and delays. In particular, Air Vistara confirmed the cancellation of ten flights in and out of Mumbai, including flights to Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
The nation's Regional Meteorological Centre has warned of heavy to "very" heavy rainfall in Mumbai and its suburbs over the next 48 hours.
According to private weather agency Skymet, cited by NDTV, Mumbai is at "serious risk of flooding" between 3-5 July, and the agency said that "close to 200 mm or more rain per day is likely during this period".
Earlier on Tuesday, two distinct wall collapse incidents in the Mumbai region amid torrential monsoon downpours reportedly claimed at least 15 lives.
