Mumbai is raining | Rain disrupts Mumbai-Pune road link, three killed in landslide; The opposition criticizes the government.

Recovery work is underway after debris and boulders partially cover part of the Pune-Mumbai road at the Khopoli-Kusgaon “missing link” near the exit of Tunnel 2 following a landslide amid heavy monsoon rains in Pune district, Maharashtra, July 6, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

Three members of a family were killed in a landslide in Pune district early Monday (July 4, 2026) as rain wreaked havoc in Pune, Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra, closing the Mumbai-Pune highway and suspending rail services between the two cities.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who chaired a review meeting of the State Emergency Operations Centre, said the India Meteorological Department has issued a cloudburst warning for the Nashik region on Wednesday (July 8), which the state government is closely monitoring. He urged private offices in Mumbai to allow employees to work from home. Schools and colleges in the city were closed, he said.

Also Read: Monsoon Update 6th July 2026

The Mumbai-Pune road link has been disrupted due to landslides and waterlogging at several places. A landslide occurred on the expressway’s newly constructed Missing Link project, leading to its closure. The old Mumbai-Pune Highway was also closed after a landslide. Waterlogging near Amrutanjan Bridge and Khalapur Toll Plaza on the highway led to traffic jams. The Central Railway canceled 16 express trains and diverted six trains.

The state legislative assembly was adjourned for a day after the opposition staged a protest demanding answers from the government.

“The administration is ready to deal with the rain,” Mr. Fadnavis said, adding, “A detailed answer to the questions raised by the opposition will be given in the assembly on Tuesday.”

The state government has deployed a 30-member National Disaster Response Force team in Pune district where a landslide occurred at Patan village in Maval taluka. A landslide buried a house and killed three people, the Pune District Disaster Management Office said. The rescue teams took 23 people to safety by the evening. “One family is trapped under the debris. Search operations are continuing,” the official said.

The opposition questioned the readiness of the government. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said the government had spent ₹7,181 crore on the Missing Link project but “the road was closed within two months of its inauguration”.

“The deaths in the Mumbai region in the last one week are not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster caused by the Chief Minister. A case of culpable homicide should be registered against Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule said Maharashtra had been “paralysed by a single rain”, adding that the chief minister should declare a national emergency and “present the truth to the people”. “Has there been a safety audit of the Missing Link project? Were environmental and disaster factors considered in its planning,” she asked.

The government said 350 trees fell in Mumbai in the 24 hours before Monday. Ten deaths have been reported in Mumbai in the past week due to rain-related incidents.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 10:18 IST