Mumbai In Rain Trauma, Abandon Cars If You Must, Advises Police

"The city is under siege. This is a terrifying downpour. Don't venture out at all," tweeted businessmen Suhel Seth. Columnist Shobhaa De posted, also on Twitter, "Mumbai bachao! The city is drowning." She spoke of near-zero visibility in some parts of the city.

Operations at the Mumbai airport were suspended for some time due to low visibility, said an official of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Flights were earlier delayed by at least 30 minutes.

Traffic jams were reported on all major roads, including the Eastern and Western Express Highway.

Suburban services were disrupted with trains on all the three lines - western, central and harbour - running late. Large parts of train tracks were submerged in water.