MONSOON IN INDIA... DEATH TOLL AT 500

The worst rains in the Bombay area ever. It was described as a wall of water:

Rescuers searched for survivors buried under debris Thursday and rushed aid to villages cut off by record-breaking rains that paralyzed Bombay and its surrounding state, leaving more than 500 dead.

At least 273 people died in Bombay after being crushed by falling walls, trapped in cars or electrocuted when the heaviest rains on record swept through the city late Tuesday. Phone networks collapsed, highways were blocked and the city’s airports were closed.

At least 513 people were reported dead in the state of Maharashtra, said D.M. Kulkarni, the deputy secretary in charge of emergency operations in Bombay. Hours earlier, the death toll had been around 450. (full article)