Palghar family forced to keep woman's body on rooftop for 12 hours during floods

A family in Devipada, near Kelwe railway station in Palghar, was forced to place the body of a deceased relative on their rooftop for nearly 12 hours between July 5 and July 6 to prevent it from being swept away by severe floodwaters. The incident occurred after heavy rains inundated the village and blocked the main access roads, leaving the family with no safe place to keep the body of 55-year-old Anusuya Manohar Lilaka.

Lilaka died late on the night of July 5 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dhundalwadi, Dahanu taluka. Her family transported the body by ambulance to Kelwe Road railway station. However, they found the nearest access road to their village cut off, as an underpass beneath a railway bridge was submerged under four to five feet of flowing water.

With no other option, the family members carried the body on their shoulders through the flooded stretch to reach their home.

Shortly after they arrived, another spell of heavy rain lashed the area, rapidly flooding their house. Fearing that the body would be washed away if left inside, the family dismantled a portion of their asbestos roof. They placed Lilaka's body on the rooftop and covered it with a black plastic sheet to protect it.

The body remained on the rooftop for nearly 12 hours. Once the floodwaters began to recede, the family was finally able to perform her last rites on the afternoon of July 6.

A photograph of the family members standing on the rooftop next to the covered body was widely shared on social media, highlighting the infrastructure challenges faced by the village during heavy rains.

According to official data, Palghar taluka recorded heavy rainfall during this period, with 164.6 mm of rain on July 5, 203.5 mm on July 6, and 257 mm on July 7.