Nearly 3,000 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders were swept into the Patalganga river after floodwaters entered a bottling plant in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, prompting the administration to issue a public safety warning.
The Raigad district administration asked residents not to touch, collect, transport or attempt to open any cylinder found floating in the river or washed ashore. People have also been asked to immediately alert the nearest police station, fire brigade or local administration if they spot one.
“There is no guarantee whether the cylinders washed into the river contain gas or whether they are in a safe condition. Picking them up, opening them, or taking them home out of curiosity or for use could be extremely dangerous,” Kishan Javle, collector, Raigad, was quoted as saying by NDTV.
According to The Times of India, authorities have recovered around 1,000 cylinders, while efforts are underway to trace and recover the remaining ones.
Heavy rain batters Maharashtra
Maharashtra has been experiencing heavy rainfall over the past week, causing flooding, landslides and widespread disruption across the state.
The state government said at least 13 people had been killed in rain-related incidents on Monday, with Mumbai and neighbouring districts among the worst affected. Heavy rain led to severe waterlogging, disrupted transport and pushed rivers and reservoirs higher across parts of the state.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned of widespread rain, with heavy to very heavy showers and isolated extremely heavy rainfall over the Konkan region and the adjoining ghats of Madhya Maharashtra during July 3-7. The spell was linked to weather systems that intensified monsoon conditions over western India, though the intensity of the rain eased on Thursday, according to local media reports.
Raigad, along with Palghar, Ratnagiri and the ghat areas of Nashik, Pune and Satara, continued to face the risk of heavy rainfall on Thursday. The IMD’s flash-flood guidance also warned of a moderate to high risk in parts of the Konkan region following days of persistent rain.
The rains also disrupted Mumbai’s transport lifeline with flooded railway tracks resulting in train cancellations, affecting thousands of commuters. The cancelled trains included the Dadar-Porbandar Express and Bandra Terminus-Bhuj Express, reflecting the scale of disruption in Western Railway.
IMD also issued a yellow alert for the capital city and adjoining areas, warning of moderate rainfall with heavy showers at isolated places, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds.
