India, May 8 -- Heavy rains continued to lash the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Wednesday, claiming one life: that of 27-year-old Taufiq Saudagar who died when a Gulmohar tree fell on his moving rickshaw in Thane. "Efforts to remove the fallen tree are currently underway," said Yasin Tadvi, an officer with the Regional Disaster Management Committee.

A day earlier, on Tuesday night in Kalyan's Chinchpada area, another Gulmohar tree fell on a moving autorickshaw amid heavy rain, killing the driver and two passengers. Both incidents raise serious concerns about urban tree maintenance and public safety, especially during the monsoon.

According to the fire department, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the Vasai-Virar region saw at le...