HEAVY rains in New Delhi killed 11 people and flooded construction sites for the Commonwealth Games as the Indian capital races to be ready for the October event, officials said yesterday.

An intense monsoon storm dumped 51 mm (two inches) of rain on the city in just three hours during Monday (July 12) night rush hour, uprooting trees and bringing the city to a virtual standstill.

Police and municipal officials said six people died from electrocution as a result of downed power lines, while five were killed in a wall collapse.

With barely 80 days to go before the opening of the Commonwealth Games, Delhi resembles a giant construction site, with mounds of debris surrounding dug-up roads and walkways across the city.

Monday’s storm turned the project sites - many of which are way behind schedule - into mud baths, flooded construction ditches and caused serious subsidence on several key roads.

An initial deadline for June 30 had been set for the completion of stadiums and venues for the Games, but that has since been extended to the end of July.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza involving 71 nations mostly from the former British empire is already the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history, with an infrastructure and organising budget of $2bn (£1.31bn).