[Source: Reuters]

Heavy rains flooded roads and railway lines on Monday in India’s financial capital Mumbai, disrupting flights and forcing the closure of schools and colleges.

Just ahead of the morning rush hour, more than 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain lashed the city of 12 million in the six hours through 7:00 a.m (0130 GMT), civic officials said in a statement. More heavy showers were forecast, accompanying a high tide of 4.40 metres (14 ft) in the coastal city.

“There is heavy traffic on the roads and rail lines too have been affected,” Eknath Shinde, chief minister of Maharashtra, the western state whose capital is Mumbai, said on X, urging people to stay indoors.

Mumbai commuters waded through knee-deep water that partially submerged vehicles in many areas, while traffic clogged the city’s Eastern and Western Express highways.

Water on the tracks forced railway authorities to cancel some long-distance trains. Television images showed some suburban passenger trains halted on inundated lines and some commuters walking on tracks to reach their destination.

“Mumbai and rain-induced flooding is an annual occurrence. My BMW car is stuck in the floodwater,” Anil Bore told ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.