BOMBAY, India (AP) – Heavy rains kept schools and colleges shut for a third day Wednesday and meteorologists forecast more for Bombay as the nationwide death toll rose to more than 250 since the monsoon began in June.

The warnings came as officials in the eastern state of Orissa, on India’s opposite coast, said torrential rains there killed at least 20 people, and nine people reportedly died elsewhere in the country.

The deaths in Orissa, which occurred Tuesday, were mostly from landslides or drowning, Orissa’s Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal said. The nine other deaths included six people who died in southern Karnataka state, when a landslide destroyed two homes, Press Trust of India reported.

There were no new reports of casualties in Bombay, where the latest spell of rains killed seven on Monday. Road, rail and air travel in and out of the city continued to be disrupted.

State meteorologists warned of heavy rains for the next three days, and Bombay’s civic authorities advised residents to stay home.

“We are constantly clearing water-logged roads,” said Johny Joseph, Bombay’s municipal commissioner. “Drainage is the main problem and our men are on the job.”

Fire officials cleared uprooted trees blocking main roads, while owners of flooded shops in low-lying areas opened to check their losses.

Bombay routinely floods during the monsoon, which can last until September. Residents have long blamed clogged drains, debris piled on sidewalks and a lax municipal administration.

Copy the Story Link