DELHI RED ALERT: Schools closed, 5 dead, roads submerged

A 22-year-old woman and her toddler drowned in Ghazipur, while major roads turned into rivers, causing severe traffic jams and leaving many people stranded.

The intense rainfall, which led to record precipitation in some areas of the city, prompted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for Delhi. The IMD advised residents to remain indoors, secure their homes, and avoid unnecessary travel.

Commuters reported significant traffic disruptions not only in Delhi but also on the Delhi-Noida Expressway. In the capital, those traveling on the Mehrauli-Chhattarpur road faced delays of over 1.5 hours due to the heavy rain.

Traffic was especially congested on roads in Lutyens' Delhi and those leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. In Old Rajinder Nagar, where students were protesting the death of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded coaching institute basement, the area was inundated with knee-deep water. Connaught Place saw flooding in several showrooms and restaurants. In north Delhi’s Sabji Mandi area, a house near Robin Cinema collapsed, injuring one person, while in Vasant Kunj, a woman was hurt when a wall fell due to the heavy rains.

The adverse weather also affected air traffic, with at least 10 flights to Delhi being redirected to Jaipur and Lucknow. Airlines warned of potential additional disruptions due to the continuing weather conditions.