Following a deadly heatwave, intense monsoon storms have reached India, with heavy rain causing flooding across the subcontinent.

Rains hit India's financial capital Mumbai early on Monday morning, disrupting travel and forcing schools to close.

City officials said more than 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain fell in just six hours, leaving rush hour commuters to wade through knee-deep water.

"There is heavy traffic on the roads and rail lines too have been affected," said Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, the western state whose capital is Mumbai. He also told residents to stay indoors.

Train services were canceled on inundated tracks and airports had to suspend runway activities for more than an hour.

Schools and colleges were closed for the day as more heavy rain was forecast to hit the city of 12 million inhabitants. India's Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of "heavy to very heavy rainfall."

Death toll rises

While the monsoon rains can bring a respite from the intense summer heat, they also can lead to widespread destruction and cause multiple deaths.

Due to climate change, experts warn that the monsoon storms have become more intense and deadly.

At least 66 people have been killed since rains started elsewhere in India in mid-May, according to an official tally.

On Sunday, 10 people were killed in separate lightning strikes in the northern state of Bihar. Such strikes are a common part of monsoon storms. In 2022, almost 3,000 people were killed after being struck by lightning, according to the Indian government.

In the northeastern state of Assam, more than 2 million people were impacted by overflowing rivers. Six of the rare one-horned rhinos also drowned in their Kaziranga National Park home, authorities said on Sunday.

ab/lo (Reuters, AFP)