Nagpur, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, witnessed a heartbreaking episode as torrential rains unleashed chaos and flooding, claiming the lives of four individuals. The relentless downpour occurred within a span of just a few hours, leading to widespread devastation and a swift rescue operation.
The first tragic incident unfolded in Surendragadh, where floodwaters breached the home of Sandhya Dhore and her elderly mother, Sayabai Dhore, aged 72. While relatives managed to rescue Sayabai, the dire circumstances left Sandhya, a 53-year-old paraplegic woman confined to her bed, stranded and unable to be moved.
In Gittikhadan, Meerabai Kappuswamy, a 70-year-old resident living alone, tragically lost her life when water inundated her residence around 2 am. Her lifeless body was discovered at 6 am by concerned family members.
Later in the day, an unidentified body was found in a major drainage channel near Panchsheel Square, under the jurisdiction of the Dhantoli police station.
The fourth victim, Sanjay Shankar Gadegaokar, aged 52, and a tea vendor residing in Ayodhya Nagar, met a watery grave in a flooded pit within the premises of the Government Medical College and Hospital around 3 am. Sanjay had been visiting a relative at GMCH at the time of the tragic incident, and the authorities have registered it as an accidental death, according to Ajni police.
The torrential rainfall, which amounted to around 90 mm between the hours of 2 am and 4 am on Saturday, wreaked havoc across Nagpur, submerging residences, residential areas, and thoroughfares, effectively transforming the city into a waterlogged landscape.
In response to the dire weather conditions, the meteorological department has issued an orange alert for the Nagpur district, slated to remain in effect for the next 24 hours. To ensure public safety, the local administration has declared a precautionary holiday for schools and colleges, advising residents to exercise caution and remain vigilant during this challenging period.