THANE: Three people have died and nearly 800 others have been evacuated due to rain-related incidents across Maharashtra’s Thane district over the past week, while a lightning strike injured two people in the latest weather-related incident, officials said on Thursday.According to an official release issued by the district administration, the fatalities include one person each from Thane city, Ambernath and Mira Bhayander.A total of 11 people have sustained injuries in various rain-related incidents during the monsoon season, officials said.On Wednesday, a lightning strike injured two people, including a teenage girl, in Murbad taluka, tehsildar Abhijit Deshmukh said. Both were rushed to the Tokawde Primary Health Centre and are reported to be out of danger.In separate incidents, two young boys drowned in a river and a nullah in Bhiwandi on July 5 and July 6, respectively. Search operations to trace them are still underway, officials said.Meanwhile, the body of an unidentified man was recovered from the swollen Potgaon river in Murbad. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and police are working to establish his identity.Heavy rainfall has caused widespread disruption, prompting rescue teams to shift 797 people from 229 families to safer locations.The rains have also caused extensive damage to infrastructure, with 136 houses suffering partial or complete collapse across the district. In addition, five huts, two poultry farms, one community hall and an Anganwadi centre have been destroyed.The district administration said authorities acted swiftly on Wednesday after hill torrents threatened to wash away the Adarsh Chawl locality in Kalwa.A spot inspection found that natural drainage channels and nullahs carrying stormwater down the hill had become severely clogged with debris, causing rainwater to overflow into nearby residential units.“The Thane Municipal Corporation immediately deployed personnel to clear the choked nullahs, effectively restoring the natural flow of the hill torrents and safely diverting the water into the main city drainage network,” the release said.The district administration said no structural collapses occurred in the Kalwa incident, and no loss of life or financial damage was reported.(With inputs from PTI)
