Vasai: Amid incessant rainfall in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region on Saturday, Kishor Lokhande (50) was swept away by floodwaters at Mangulipada-Bhoidapada in Vasai East, while six-year-old Aniket Waghela from Betegaon drowned when he was crossing a canal with his grandfather, a farm worker, and two siblings in Palghar. In Nalasopara East’s flooded Jeevan Nagar, an unidentified body was found.A total of 222 people stranded in flood-hit parts of Vasai-Virar were rescued by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) fire brigade across the city and the adjoining rural areas.The city recorded 163 mm of rainfall till 3 pm on Saturday, leading to severe waterlogging and flood-like conditions in several residential pockets.According to the VVMC, 19 people were rescued from Sakwar village and 12 from Sarja Mori. Rescue teams also evacuated five residents from Virat Nagar in Virar, 30 from Nirmal, 10 from Santosh Bhavan, two from Sativali, three from the Vasai railway station area, 41 from Madhuban and 100 from Rajavali, taking the total number of people rescued during the day to 222. Palghar district collector Indurani Jakhad and Mandvi senior police inspector Sanjay Hajare were present during the rescue operation.In Vasai East, 41 teaching and non-teaching staff stranded at Thakur Indrasandevi Public School (TIPS) and Junior College in the Madhuban area were rescued by the fire brigade. The civic body said residents of landslide-prone areas were shifted to relief shelters, while food packets were distributed to families whose homes were inundated.Civic bus services across Vasai-Virar on Saturday were suspended for over five hours. Several buses broke down, leaving hundreds of commuters to wade through flooded roads. Meanwhile, massive traffic snarls were seen on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Stretches between the Versova bridge and Virar Phata, including Sasupada, Maljipada, Chinchoti, Pelhar and Vasai Phata, saw severe waterlogging.Waterlogging was reported on the tracks between Vasai Road and Nalasopara stations, resulting in delays of 20 to 25 minutes.
