Torrential monsoon rain in a 24-hour period brought Mumbai, India's second most populous city, to a grinding halt. It received nearly 15 inches of rain, the highest in 14 years, according to India's Meteorological Department. Very heavy rain was expected for another day, according to the forecast, before it eases.
Twenty-four people died, according to local media reports. The government of the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, declared a public holiday Tuesday and requested the city's 20 million residents stay indoors. Despite being the country's financial hub, Mumbai's infrastructure struggles to cope with the annual monsoon.
Water in some streets rose to waist level, and low-lying areas of the suburbs were the worst hit. Several trains, known as the city's lifelines, remained suspended as flooding choked the tracks. Over 2,500 people were stranded at one of the major stations because of long-distance train cancellations, the Indian Express reported.
Air traffic, too, was paralyzed after a plane skidded off the main runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
In 2005, more than 500 people died in mega floods caused by record rainfall.
And in Europe
Europe's heat wave shifted eastward Tuesday, delivering scorching temperatures to Serbia and the rest of the Balkans, and new data showed that last month set a June record for the continent.
Measurements collected by the European Union's Copernicus satellite program revealed Europe's average temperature in June was more than 2 degrees Celsius higher than during the 30-year reference period from 1981 to 2010.
