Four dead, several feared trapped as billboard falls over during Mumbai rainstorm

At least four people are dead, 61 injured and more than 40 feared trapped after a massive billboard fell during a rainstorm in India’s financial capital of Mumbai on Monday, local officials said.

The rainstorm was accompanied by gusty winds, causing the billboard, located next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, to collapse on some houses and a petrol pump.

A rescue operation for the people remaining trapped under the billboard is ongoing. Fire services, police, disaster response officials and other authorities are all involved in the rescue efforts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the civic body that runs Mumbai, said on X.

News channels and posts on social media showed the towering billboard billowing in the wind for a while before it gave way and crashed to the ground.

Firefighters stand next to vehicles crushed by the billboard, which fell during a rainstorm in Mumbai, India, on May 13, 2024.

The local weather department had predicted that moderate spells of rain, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 40-50 kilometers per hour (25-30 miles per hour) were likely to occur in parts of Mumbai district on Monday.

There were temporary flight disruptions at the Mumbai airport, with 15 flight diversions and operations suspended for a little over an hour, ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake, reported.

Mumbai, like several Indian cities, is prone to severe flooding and rain-related accidents during the monsoon season, which usually lasts from June until September every year.