Overview

• Matunga Police carried seven students and two Don Bosco School staff through waist-deep water near King’s Circle to safety at a nearby police station where they were reunited with parents without injury.
• Video of the rescue went viral on social media and prompted commendations from the Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai, MP Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, actress Dipika Kakar and official Mumbai Police accounts.
• The India Meteorological Department forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across Mumbai through August 21 and issued a red alert covering island and suburban areas.
• The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation declared a holiday for all schools and colleges on August 18 as waterlogging worsened across low-lying roads.
• Public figures have questioned the timing and reach of IMD warnings and BMC advisories after children had already boarded school buses into flooded streets.