As the south-west monsoon is making advancements towards northern India states, heavy rains lashed Maharashtra's Thane and neighbouring Palghar districts overnight with the authorities issuing a 'red alert' for Palghar, predicting very heavy showers on Thursday (today), officials said.
Due to flooding of the Surya river in Palghar, a bridge in Manor was submerged and the movement between Wada and Manor remained affected, district disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam informed. The high tide further aggravated the situation, he said.
Due to the heavy rains, the search operations for an excavator and its operator undertaken by various agencies at Sasun Navghar in Palghar have been stopped for now, he said.
The excavator and its operator were buried in a tunnel of an upcoming water project on May 29 after the soil there caved-in. The neighbouring Thane city and district also experienced heavy downpour overnight, another official said.
The city received 35.51 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said. There were sporadic incidents of fall of tree branches in the city, he said.
Between 8.30 am and 9.30 am on Thursday, the city received 26.42 mm rainfall, the official said. Thane city has received 228.93 mm rainfall this monsoon season so far compared to 50.70 mm in the same period last year, he said.
ALSO READ | Monsoon to hit Delhi-NCR likely by THIS date, check IMD's latest weather update
