Torrential rain lashed Delhi on Thursday, leaving three people dead, plunging traffic into chaos, and triggering dozens of complaints of waterlogging and tree collapses across the Capital.

The downpour crippled movement across the city. Long traffic snarls were reported at the AIIMS Flyover, South Extension Loop, Aurobindo Marg, New Rohtak Road, Moolchand underpass, and Azad Market railway underpass.

The Public Works Department’s (PWD) monitoring room said it received over 50 complaints of waterlogging from areas including Seelampur, ITO, Zakhira, Lajpat Nagar and Greater Kailash (GK). Reports of roads caving in at GK also poured in. Municipal officials added that 13 cases of fallen trees and three of dangerous buildings were reported, along with eight complaints of waterlogging. The PWD registered 10 separate tree collapse complaints in Kalkaji, Nehru Enclave, August Kranti Marg, Model Town-III and Sarita Vihar.

Rain deaths

The first fatality of the day was reported from Kalkaji around 9.50 a.m. when a decades-old neem tree suddenly toppled near HDFC Bank at Paras Chowk. CCTV footage showed the tree crashing onto vehicles, trapping a bike rider and his pillion beneath its weight. The victims were identified as Sudhir Kumar, 50, and his daughter Priya, 22, residents of Tughlaqabad. Both were rushed to the hospital, where the father, a caretaker at the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board night shelter, was declared dead on arrival. Ms. Priya sustained a fracture in the right pelvic region and is under treatment. The deceased is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters. Another car caught under the tree also suffered extensive damage.

Municipal authorities have begun assessing tree safety in the area. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed all road-owning agencies to immediately identify and prune trees that pose a risk. “Our responsibility is to ensure such incidents never happen again. Every citizen deserves a safe environment,” she said.

Hours later, at around 4.45 p.m., tragedy struck again when a wall adjoining Hanuman Mandir in Basant Nagar, Vasant Vihar, collapsed in the rain, killing two boys on the spot. The boys, aged nine and 10, who were sitting on the stairs alongside the wall, were buried under the debris, the police said. They were rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre in PCR vans but were declared dead on arrival. The boys hailed from Madhubani and Begusarai in Bihar. “Disaster management teams and Delhi Development Authority officials were deployed to clear debris and check if others were trapped,” said an official. Earlier this week, seven migrant workers died in a wall collapse after rain.

August deluge

The Safdarjung weather station, Delhi’s base observatory, recorded 92.5 mm of rainfall over 24 hours ending 5.30 p.m. on Thursday. August alone has so far received 59% excess rainfall compared to the seasonal average, while the monsoon since June 1 has brought 38% above-normal rain. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an “orange” alert for the day, its second-highest warning and advised citizens to stay prepared for heavy showers, thunderstorms and lightning. For Independence Day, the forecast reads cloudy skies with brief spells of rain and thunder in the morning and forenoon.