MUMBAI, Aug 1: Monsoon rains lashed Mumbai again on Monday as rescuers pulled more bodies from the floodwaters and the city battled to recover from its worst-ever recorded deluge, with the death toll nearing 1,000. The city’s police chief appealed to residents to stay indoors as meteorologists forecast ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong gusty winds’ for Tuesday and Wednesday in Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital.

Rescue workers found the bodies of 24 more victims of floods and landslides, bringing the state death toll to 993 since the rains began on July 25, police said. About 400 of them have died in Mumbai. But officials said the city of 15 million people was limping back to normal even though some low-lying areas remained knee-deep in water.

Flights out of Mumbai airport were delayed but returning to normal, airline officials said. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel urged visitors to avoid the city unless absolutely necessary.

“There are gusty winds making landings and takeoffs difficult,” a ministry spokesman said. On Saturday an Air India plane carrying over 300 passengers skidded off the runway but no one was hurt. The airport was shut for two days last week.

Schools and colleges remained shut, but the Mumbai stock exchange, banks and offices were open. However attendance was spotty as employees struggled into work, sloshing through puddles and facing big delays in commuter train services.

“There’s some waterlogging in the traditional low-lying areas of the city,” said Mumbai police chief A.N. Roy. “There’s no reason to panic (but) I advise people to remain indoors.”

He said rescue teams were battling rough weather to reach victims of landslides and flooding, adding: “In some parts, it’s proving very tough.”

Rescue workers were pressing on with ‘Operation Recovery’, using bulldozers, cranes and bare hands to remove rubble from areas hit by landslides.

Analysts said the rains have caused such severe damage to the heavily industrialized state that a government forecast of seven per cent growth for the year ending March 2006 may need to be cut to six per cent.

“Inventories are being affected, there are production losses,” said the director of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

—AFP