MUMBAI (Reuters) – At least four people were killed, 61 were injured and more than 40 were trapped after a huge billboard collapsed during a thunderstorm in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Monday, local authorities said.
The storm was accompanied by gusts of wind, causing the billboard, located next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, to collapse onto some houses and a petrol pump.
A rescue operation for people trapped under the billboard is underway. Firefighters, police, disaster response authorities and other authorities are all involved in the rescue efforts, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the civic body that administers Mumbai, at X.
News channels and social media posts showed the towering billboard swaying in the wind for a while before giving way and falling to the ground.
The local meteorological department has predicted that moderate spells of rain, accompanied by gusts of wind reaching 40-50 kilometers per hour, are likely to occur in parts of Mumbai district on Monday.
There were temporary flight disruptions at Mumbai airport, with 15 flights diverted and operations suspended for just over an hour, news agency ANI, 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 generally lasts from June to September each year.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar)
