Landslide in Mumbai’s Vikhroli kills two amid overnight rains

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported that the landslide struck at 2:39 am near Jankalyan Society in Vikhroli’s Varsha Nagar.

Written by Nayonika Bose
Mumbai | August 16, 2025 08:49 IST

The site, which falls under the Vikhroli Park Site area, has been flagged as a landslide-prone zone and comes under the jurisdiction of the city’s collector. (PTI/Representational)

A landslide triggered by heavy overnight rains killed two people in Mumbai’s eastern suburb of Vikhroli early Saturday, officials said. Two others were injured in the incident, which occurred when soil and loose stones slid from a hillside and fell onto their hut.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported that the landslide struck at 2:39 am near Jankalyan Society in Vikhroli’s Varsha Nagar. The site, which falls under the Vikhroli Park Site area, has been flagged as a landslide-prone zone and comes under the jurisdiction of the city’s collector.

According to officials, four people were affected when debris collapsed onto the hut. They were taken to Rajawadi Hospital, where two — Shalu Mishra, 19, and Suresh Mishra, 50 — were declared dead. The injured, identified as Aarti Mishra, 45, and Ruturaj Mishra, 20, are stable and under treatment in the hospital’s trauma ward.

The incident came as Vikhroli recorded some of the heaviest downpours in the eastern suburbs overnight. Between 11 pm Friday and 5 am Saturday, Tagore Nagar recorded 213 mm of rain while Vikhroli West saw 211 mm, according to municipal records.

Surveys by the Geological Survey of India have identified Vikhroli as one of the eastern suburbs with the highest number of landslide-sensitive sites. Informal settlements, often built on the slopes of these hills, are home to lower-income and marginalised communities who remain exposed to such risks because of limited housing alternatives.

In May, the BMC had urged residents of these landslide-prone zones to relocate to safer areas. Civic officials issued notices to vacate homes along the slopes, advising people to move to designated safer pockets.

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