At least seven people were killed and several others injured as lightning and thunderstorms hit south Bengal districts on Friday afternoon, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert.
“Seven persons were killed and some have been injured as lightning and thunderstorms hit multiple districts, including Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore and Purulia. The deaths and injuries were primarily caused by lightning, wall collapse and electrocution,” chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said.
He announced compensation of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He added that the government would bear the treatment costs of those injured.
A squall, with wind speeds reaching up to 88 kmph, hit Kolkata, uprooting trees in more than 30 locations across the city. Several vehicles were damaged after tree branches fell on them. Street lamp posts and traffic signals also collapsed as the storm swept through the city.
“A squall line – a group of storms arranged in a line and covering a large area – hit multiple districts in south Bengal on Friday afternoon. The squall line stretched over more than 600 km. The squall which passed over Kolkata had a windspeed of around 88 km per hour and lasted for two minutes. The one that hit Dum Dum (NSCBI area) had windspeed reaching up to 74 km per hour,” said an IMD official in Kolkata.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport officials said some flights were diverted while others were delayed. There were, however, no cancellations.
