Sea waves crash into an embankment in rain-lashed Mumbai on Wednesday, the Gateway of India barely visible through a curtain of spray and haze.

Forty-six people, including nine in Mumbai and Thane, were killed in heavy rain since Tuesday evening in Maharashtra. Road, air and rail traffic were affected.

A boundary wall erected by a construction company caved in on a cluster of huts at Dnyaneshwar Nagar in Thane, trapping over a dozen people. Nine people were killed and four were injured.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation issued a high-tide alert for Wednesday and deployed lifeguards and firemen at the beaches.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for each of the families of the dead, Rs 50,000 for each of the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for each of those who sustained minor injuries. (PTI text and picture)