MUMBAI, July 2, 2007 (AFP) - At least 43 people died over the weekend as heavy monsoon rains accompanied by fierce winds lashed western India's Maharashtra state and left some areas badly flooded, officials said Monday. "The total number of deaths across the state stands at 43 with 4,820 people evacuated across eight districts," an official in the state's relief and rehabilitation department said. Half of the victims were washed away by floods while the rest were killed in house collapses or electrocuted. Thirteen of the deaths occurred in the state capital Mumbai, India's financial hub, said city chief administrator Jairaj Pathak. City officials had appealed to residents of the sprawling metropolis of 15 million people to stay inside over the weekend until the rains eased. International and domestic flights to and from Mumbai were also disrupted. The rains eased Sunday, although several parts of Mumbai were still flooded Monday. The coastal city received 243 millimetres (9.5 inches) of rain between Friday and Saturday. The monsoon rains which sweep India from June to September regularly disrupt life and often cause flooding and casualties in the densely-populated country of 1.1 billion. sal-tl/sas/mtp