A man died after accidentally falling into a manhole in Maharashtra's capital city of Mumbai amid heavy rainfall in India's financial capital, said officials on Thursday. The incident happened around 12.30 pm in the Chandivali area.
The manhole on the Khairani Road near the Sanman Hotel was uncovered for some maintenance work when the incident happened. Apparently, the man was "talking to someone on his mobile phone" when he accidentally fell into the manhole.
The victim, identified as 60-year-old Aslam Isak Shaikh who was a resident of Yadav Nagar, was taken to the Rajawadi Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
A probe has now been launched and further investigation is underway. Officials are also considering registering a case against the contractor, holding him responsible for homicide.
"The private staff lowered a ladder into the manhole to search for him, but they found only his umbrella and slippers," said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a statement. "Due to the strong flow of water, it could not be determined in which direction the man was carried away. Search operation is in progress."
3rd rain-related incident so far
This is the third rain-related incident that has happened in Mumbai amid the heavy rains. On Tuesday, an 11-year-old student was killed after a tree fell on to a school bus in Chembur. The bus belonged to the Universal High School and was carrying 12 students when the incident happened.
Following the incident, two officials -- Assistant Garden Superintendent Jagdish Bhoir and Assistant Engineer Arun Munde -- were suspended by the BMC.
Other than this, a 51-year-old man was killed on Babulnath Road in Walkeshwar area on Tuesday after a portion of a third-floor balcony collapsed suddenly. The man was trapped under the rubble and was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors.
Mumbai has been battered by heavy rainfall for the past few days. According to the BMC, some areas logged over 200 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, causing severe waterlogging and disrupting traffic. The weather department has forecasted that heavy rainfall will continue in Mumbai till early Friday.
