The heaviest monsoon downpour in nearly 50 years has brought Mumbai to a standstill, with stranded passengers at railway stations having to be rescued by dinghies from waist-high water.

Iran Press/Asia: People who live in areas normally unaffected by the annual monsoon flooding looked out from their high-rise flats at new swirling rivers outside caused by the heaviest single day’s rain recorded in August in 47 years.

Wednesday saw extraordinary downpours and winds of more than 100km/h tossing cars aside, uprooting trees, tearing down hoardings and smashing cranes at the port, The Guardian reported.

Even on Marine Drive, the famous arc-shaped boulevard that runs alongside the Arabian Sea and is lined with art deco buildings, the relentless rain caused flooding. This area is normally not affected by torrential monsoon rain as the drainage system usually works better than in low-lying areas of the city that are usually worst-hit.

Other areas where the elites live – Fort, Colaba, Churchgate, Breach Candy, and Pedder Road – and where many heritage buildings are located, were also flooded.

So far India’s commercial capital has been inundated with 2,319mm of rain. The annual average is 2,260mm.

“Every year we suffer from flooding, every year it’s the same nightmare but this is altogether different. I saw coconuts flying off in the air and smashing into car windows,” said Reshma Patil who lives on the 10th floor of an apartment block on Peddar Road.

Her neighbor said he saw signposts and huge metal sheets from a nearby construction site flying past his window.

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