Heavy rain traps tourists at Thane resort

Mumbai:  A disaster management team has rescued 33 people from a resort in Thane district near Mumbai. Eighty people were trapped inside the Silent Hill resort after relentless rains flooded the low lying area where it is situated.

Twenty chartered accountants, two families, and a staff of 50 people were stuck at the resort, close to the Vaitarna River, which started flooding on Saturday after the non-stop rains.

While the hotel staff and the CAs said they were safe, by 10 pm last night, the water had spilled on to the ground floor of the two storey structure.

Surendra Navle, Tehsildar of the area said, "We had informed the resort in the morning itself, asking it to evacuate the guests. We even sent our men there. However, at 8 pm, when things turned worse, the resort called us, saying that people needed help. But it was too late, as it had turned dark. Moreover, it's high tide at 11 pm and if it continues raining, it would be difficult for us to rescue them."

He continued, "We have asked for boats from the BMC, and at 10 pm, they left from Mumbai. We expect them to reach here within two-and-a-half hours. Other than the resort, we have lost contact with Manor village, as the roads leading to it have been submerged. We can't reach them with help at this hour," said Navle.

VT Pawar, police inspector of Manor police station where the resort is, said,  "The resort is in a low-lying area. Taking a boat there is not possible because of darkness."

Around 8:45 pm, two Mumbaikars, Rahul and Jaya Jain, called the state control room asking for help when the water reached the ground floor of the resort building.

Meanwhile, 400 people were shifted from their houses that were flooded in Govindwadi in Kalyan to a municipal school by civic officials.