Monsoon fury claims over 10 lives in a day: Delhi, Surat, UP, HP hit; red alert in multiple states

At least ten people lost their lives in rain-related incidents across India on Thursday as the monsoon delivered one of its most destructive days of the season. Roads flooded, trees fell, bridges submerged, buildings collapsed, and lightning struck people in multiple states, while authorities issued red and orange alerts across a wide swathe of the country.

Delhi: Rohini death toll rises, roads underwater

In the national capital, the death toll from the Rohini building collapse rose to three. Waterlogging paralysed large parts of the city, with areas including Vikas Marg, East Delhi, Sangam Vihar, New Delhi railway station, Munirka, Sadar Bazar, Alipur, Burari, Badarpur, and Dwarka all inundated. In Alipur, trucks and cars were partially submerged.

Major roads including ITO, Rohtak Road, the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, NH-48, Ring Road, Punjabi Bagh, and Shadipur ground to a halt due to waterlogging and congestion.

In Gurugram, a section of the balcony of a luxury apartment complex collapsed in the morning, though no injuries were reported.

The Delhi Fire Service reported tree falls at multiple locations, Raja Dhir Singh Marg in East of Kailash, Guru Ravidas Marg in the Kalkaji-Govindpuri area, Dhingra Marg, and Ranjeet Nagar. Despite the chaos, the rain delivered an unexpected benefit: Delhi recorded its cleanest air since September 2023, with parts of the city receiving over 160 mm of rainfall.

NCR: Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad hit hard

Across the wider NCR, Noida sectors including 16, 33, 12, and 62 and stretches of the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway were inundated, leaving commuters stranded. Severe waterlogging near the Ghazipur border on NH-9 triggered long traffic snarls on the Delhi-Ghaziabad route.

A section of road in Ghaziabad’s Vasundhara caved in beside an under-construction basement, sending a parked car and a scooter into the pit. Ghaziabad district administration declared a holiday in government schools.

Surat: 17 dead as floodwaters recede slowly

In Gujarat’s Surat, which was battered by rain on Wednesday, floodwaters were slowly receding on Thursday, but not before six more bodies were recovered, taking the rain-related death toll in the city to 17 over the past few days.

Rescue operations continued at a building collapse site at a waste-to-energy plant in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, where one more body was recovered, and around eight people remain feared trapped. Nine have been rescued so far.

Uttar Pradesh: Seven dead in lightning, wall collapses

Seven people died in rain-related incidents across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Two women were struck by lightning in separate villages of Sant Kabir Nagar district. A 14-year-old boy was killed in Kushinagar after lightning struck him. In Bulandshahr’s Mundakheda village, two people died and four were injured when a wall collapsed onto makeshift tents.

In Shamli’s Thanabhawan town, a man died and his two sons were seriously injured when a tin shed wall fell on them. In Ghaziabad, a three-year-old girl, Pallavi, drowned after being swept into a waterlogged drain outside her home in Sarvodaya Colony.

The IMD issued a red alert for parts of western UP, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, with widespread rainfall expected across the state until July 11.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand: Bridges and roads gone

In Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, a 100-foot iron bridge was completely submerged by rising river levels, cutting off access to Lippa village. A landslide near Maling Nallah on the old Hindustan Tibet road blocked traffic for hours and damaged three houses, a cowshed, and several orchards. Shimla, Kangra, and Jot received thunderstorms and lightning. The Shimla Met Office issued a yellow alert for heavy rain at isolated places until July 15.

In Uttarakhand, traffic was disrupted on 107 routes including nine state highways following landslides and rising water levels. The IMD issued a red alert for seven districts including Dehradun, and schools from Classes 1 to 12 were closed in four districts.

Arunachal Pradesh: Six districts damaged

Fresh floods and landslides struck six districts, Keyi Panyor, Upper Siang, Tirap, Changlang, Papum Pare, and Upper Subansiri, damaging houses, roads, and crops, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre. An inter-ministerial central team from the Ministry of Home Affairs visited flood-hit East Siang and Lower Siang to assess damage and evaluate the need for central financial assistance.

Kerala: Wayanad landslide toll rises to six

In Kerala, the death toll from the Wayanad landslide rose to six after three more bodies were recovered. Two people remain missing, and search operations are continuing. The IMD issued an orange alert for Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad, and yellow alerts for six other districts.

Meanwhile, the IMD confirmed on Thursday that the southwest monsoon has now advanced to cover the entire country. India has recorded a significant surplus so far in July, 101.9 mm against a normal of 73.8 mm for the first nine days of the month. More rain is expected across multiple states through the coming week.