Kolkata, July 25 (UNI) The death toll from yesterday’s thunderstorms and lightning strikes has risen to 18, mostly farmers, in the districts of Bankura, East Bardhaman, and West Medinipur in West Bengal, official sources said today.
The fatalities occurred while the victims were working in the fields harvesting Aman paddy and other crops, taking advantage of the monsoon rains, the sources added.
Of the total deaths, nine were reported from Bankura — a district often regarded as drought-prone — six from East Bardhaman (Purba), and three from West Medinipur. All the victims were men, who were in the open fields and tried to protect themselves from the storm and lightning in the South Bengal districts.
Nine people were killed in Bankura alone after being struck by lightning. All have been identified, officials confirmed.
Heavy overnight rain and showers early this morning also disrupted normal life in Kolkata, with waterlogging reported across several areas in the central, southern, and northern parts of the city.
City traffic was severely affected due to the water-logging and blocked drainage outlets due to plastic and other waste littered on the roads, according to officials.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has deployed pumps at various points to drain out the water and restore smooth traffic movement.
Weathermen have issued warnings, stating that a “well-marked low-pressure area over the North Bay of Bengal” is likely to bring more rain.
The system moved slowly west-northwestward and remained positioned over the same region. The associated cyclonic circulation extended up to 7.6 km above sea level and tilted southwestward with height.
“It is likely to continue moving west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression over the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh within the next 24 hours,” the weather office said.
The system is expected to move further west-northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal, northern Odisha, Jharkhand, and adjoining northern Chhattisgarh over the next two days.
