Lightning kills five, one drowns as rains lash state

Kolkata: Five persons were killed today in lightning strikes and a man drowned in a river in West Bengal, which was lashed by heavy monsoon rains and thunderstorm since morning, a state disaster management official said.

A seven-year-old boy was killed in a lightning strike at Bhomragora village in Bandwan block of Purulia district, while two other deaths due to lightning strikes was reported from Rajendrapur of Basirhat II block and Keutepara of Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district, he said.

A woman from Basanti block of Charpara village and a man from Namkhana block of Uttar Chandanpiri village of South 24 Parganas districts were also killed in lightning strike, he said.

An 18-year-old person drowned in Sutunga river in Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district during the rains, he added.

Kolkata recorded a maximum rainfall of 43 mm in Alipore area till 5.30 pm. In South 24 Parganas district, Diamond Harbour registered rainfall of around 43 mm and Canning 32 mm, Haldia in East Midnapore district recorded 28 mm rainfall, Dum Dum in the North 24 Parganas saw 19 mm rainfall and Malda 18 mm, the official said.

Waterlogging was reported from several low-lying areas of the city and the disaster management department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation was directed to take a stock of the situation as the met office predicted more rainfall in the state in the next 48 hours. The state government’s disaster management department sounded an alert to all the districts, an official at the secretariat said.

A senior official of the weather department said heavy showers would continue to lash the state in the next 48 hours mainly because of two depressions one in the north west Bay of Bengal and another in Assam and adjoining places of West Bengal.

Moderate rain with thunder is likely to occur at places in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Kalimpong, Malda, North and South Dinajpur, Purulia, Bankura.