Mumbai, May 28 -- Maharashtra has witnessed a trail of destruction over the past three days as relentless rainfall claimed eight lives and wreaked havoc across several districts. The deaths were reported from Pune (3), Jalna (2), and one each from Mumbai, Raigad and Ahilyanagar. Causes ranged from lightning strikes and wall collapses to falling trees and drowning incidents. Two people have sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at government hospitals. On Monday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the administration to provide immediate ex gratia compensation to the families of the deceased and also against the crop damages under existing disaster relief norms. At a cabinet meeting, he instructed officials to conduct urgent assessments of damage to crops, homes, and infrastructure. Districts in Marathwada bore the brunt of the deluge. Latur recorded an average of 206.5 mm rainfall over three days, while Ahilyanagar saw 201.2 mm. Widespread flooding disrupted daily life and led to massive crop losses. In Latur, authorities released 1,441 cusecs of water from the filled-to-capacity Renapur, Jawalga, and Kharola barrages, causing the Rena River to swell. In Ahilyanagar, 15 residents stranded near the overflowing Walumba River were rescued by local disaster teams. Rainfall also affected Beed, Washim, Nanded, Solapur, and Jalna districts, where officials from the Relief and Rehabilitation Department warned of severe agricultural damage. The IMD issued a red alert for Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and Kolhapur on Tuesday, and an orange alert for Raigad, Satara, Pune Ghat, Chandrapur, and Gadchiroli. The state government has deployed 18 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, with ten focused on monsoon emergencies. These include two teams each in Mumbai and Thane, and others in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, and Kolhapur. Eight cattle deaths have also been reported in rain-related accidents....