Morning rains bring traffic to standstill in Indian capital

NEW DELHI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Rains lashed the Indian capital Monday morning, bringing the much needed relief from the heat but bringing rush-hour traffic to a halt in many places as well.

Traffic officials said snarls were reported from different parts of Delhi as rains slowed down the movement of vehicles. "At some key junctions, electronic signal posts also malfunctioned, leading to jams," a police official said.

"We have deployed traffic cops at key intersections to clear the rush-hour jams," he added.

More rains are likely later in the day, a weather official said. "We are keeping our fingers crossed. Hope for more rains to cool down the temperatures," he added.

Similar rains and dust storm forced diversion of as many as 24 flights on Friday evening. While some flights were diverted by air traffic control, others failed in their bid to land at Delhi airport due to low visibility owing to dust storm and rains.

Rains are uncommon during peak summer months of April to June in northern India. Enditem