Heavy rain lashes Delhi; mother-son drown in drain

New Delhi: A woman and her son drowned in a drain in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase 3 amid the heavy rain that lashed the Capital Wednesday evening. Police said the two were returning home when the boy, Priyansh, slipped into an open drain which was not visible due to the surrounding area being completely waterlogged. Tanuja fell inside while trying to rescue her son.

Following the downpour, Education Minister Atishi announced that all schools, government and private, will remain closed Thursday. At the Delhi Airport, 10 flights were diverted — eight to Jaipur and two to Lucknow.

The rain left roads submerged, with commuters battling knee-deep water and traffic snarls that lasted hours. Old Rajinder Nagar, where the flooding of a coaching centre’s basement resulted in the deaths of three UPSC aspirants days ago, was waterlogged. Area MLA Durgesh Pathak was seen standing in waist-deep water, attempting to clear the inundated stretch. Despite the rain, students protesting against the deaths continued their demonstration.