27 buildings collapse in Delhi, 3 killed in rain-related incidents

More rain is expected in Delhi on Thursday, the meteorological department has forecast, a day after heavy showers inundated large parts of the city and caused 27 building collapses that claimed one life and injured three.

A 62-year-old man died in a building collapse in north Delhi's Sabji Mandi area, taking the death toll in rain-related incidents in the national capital to three, with as many injured in separate incidents across the city, officials said on Thursday.

Heavy rainfall unleashed chaos in Delhi on Wednesday evening, inundating large parts of the city, while key stretches were choked with unending traffic and people left stranded.

According to a police officer, the deceased, identified as Anil Kumar Gupta, was inside the building when it collapsed at 8.30 pm. He succumbed to his injuries at Saint Stephens Hospital, the officer added.

A 22-year-old woman, Tanuja, and her three-year-old son, Priyansh, who had gone to a weekly market in east Delhi's Ghazipur area, drowned after they slipped into a waterlogged drain on Wednesday night. The incident took place around 8 pm near the Khoda Colony area, where the roadside drain was under-construction, the officials said.

The duo were brought out with the help of divers and cranes and taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead, the police officer said.

Till 7 am, the Delhi police had received 2,945 calls of traffic jam, 127 calls of waterlogging, 27 calls of building collapse and 50 calls of falling of trees, the officials said.

The torrential downpour prompted the weather office to include Delhi in its list of "areas of concern" in the National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin. The department advised people to remain indoors, secure windows and doors, and refrain from unnecessary travel.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced late night that all schools in the city will remain closed on Thursday. "In light of the very heavy rainfall this evening and the forecast of heavy rainfall tomorrow, all schools both government and private will remain closed on August 1st," she posted on 'X'.

According to police in Ghazipur, Tanuja and her three-year-old son Priyansh were out to buy household items from a weekly market when they slipped into a drain due to waterlogging and drowned. The incident occurred near the Khoda Colony area, where the roadside drain was under construction.

The heavy downpour also led to a house collapse in north Delhi's Sabji Mandi area near Robin Cinema, injuring one person. In another incident in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj, a woman was injured in a wall collapse.

The inclement weather also hit air traffic. At least 10 flights scheduled to land at the Delhi airport were diverted -- eight to Jaipur and two to Lucknow -- due to inclement weather conditions. Airlines also warned of the possibility of more flight disruptions.

The Salwan station in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar area recorded 147.5 mm rainfall from 8.30 am on Wednesday till 7.15 am on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Najafgarh station recorded 113 mm rainfall and the Lodhi Road, Delhi University and Safdarjung observatories recorded 107.5 mm, 104.5 mm, and 105.6 mm rainfall respectively, it said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said he has asked officers to remain on alert.

"Apart from ensuring minimum inconvenience to people in general, they are advised to specifically address issues at sites prone to waterlogging, including coaching centres," he said in the post on 'X'.

The traffic situation was especially chaotic on roads in Lutyens' Delhi and those leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

Old Rajinder Nagar, where students were protesting the death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding in a coaching institute basement, was under knee-deep water. In Connaught Place, water gushed into many showrooms and restaurants.

Widespread waterlogging prompted the traffic police to issue an advisory, asking commuters to avoid certain roads.

They said vehicular movement was hit on the carriageway from Moolchand towards Chirag Delhi, both carriageways on Anuvrat Marg, Outer Ring Road, Syama Prasad Mukherjee Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg among other key roads.

The traffic police also suggested alternative routes and highlighted diversions imposed for commuters to consider given the waterlogging.

Multiple areas, including in Kashmere Gate, Karol Bagh and Pragati Maidan, were marooned following the heavy downpour.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi said it received four complaints about waterlogging and three calls about fallen trees from different parts of Delhi. Power cuts were also reported across the city.

In Old Delhi's Daryaganj area, the boundary wall of a school collapsed upon cars parked outside while the road beneath caved in.

In South Delhi's Chhatarpur area, slippers were seen floating on waterlogged streets as vehicles drove by.

There was chaos in the Pragati Maidan tunnel as well due to waterlogging. The ITO intersection, the Dhaula Kuan area and the road towards the airport witnessed traffic snarls due to inundation.

Rainwater gushed into the Press Club of India, where people were seen sitting in knee-deep water in a purported photo shared online.

With the BJP slamming the ruling AAP in Delhi over the situation and accusing it of negligence and mismanagement, Atishi said the city government and the MCD were maintaining a close watch.

"There has been very heavy rainfall in Delhi in the last two hours. Delhi Govt and MCD are maintaining a close watch on low lying areas and vulnerable waterlogging locations, to ensure no untoward incident takes place," she said in another post on 'X'.

The national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius during the day.

The IMD has predicted a wet spell in the city till August 5.