Heavy rains in India kill 27

MUMBAI 2nd July: Monsoon rains caused wall collapses that killed 27 people in India on Tuesday, as a second day of bad weather disrupted rail and air traffic in  Mumbai, forcing officials to close schools and offices, although markets were open.

Every monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, India goes through such fatal incidents of wall collapses as heavy rainfall weakens the foundations of big structures.

Heavy rain caused a wall to come crashing down on a slum killing 18 people, built on a hilly slope in Malad, a suburb in western Mumbai, an official said.
The official added. “So far we have rescued more than two dozen people.”
Three people were killed when a school wall collapsed, crushing them, in the city of Kalyan, 42 km north of Mumbai.

In the nearby city of Pune, six people were crushed and killed as a wall collapse on top of them on Tuesday, an official said, after a similar incident on Saturday killed 15.
Mumbai is trying to become a global financial hub but large parts of the city cannot cope with annual monsoon rains.