Life Thrown into Chaos in Kolkata by Severe Storm and Heavy Rains; One Dead; Flight, Metro, and Train Service Disrupted
Kolkata: Sudden heavy rains and strong winds on Friday wreaked havoc across Kolkata and several districts of South Bengal, resulting in death of one person and disrupting flight, Metro, and train services.
After dark clouds loomed over the sky since morning, a storm swept through the city in the afternoon. Accompanied by strong winds, torrential rain, and thunder and lightning, the storm wreaked havoc in areas such as Salt Lake, Dum Dum, Jadavpur, Esplanade, and Baranagar, uprooting trees, causing waterlogging, and leading to massive traffic jams.
A man died in the Prinsep Ghat-Babughat area after a tree branch reportedly fell on him while he was plucking mangoes. The falling branch also snapped overhead power lines, triggering a fire. He was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved.
Wind speeds reached up to 88 km/h
According to the Alipore Meteorological Department, wind speeds reached up to 88 km/h in Kolkata's Alipore area, while wind gusts of 74 km/h were recorded in Dum Dum.
The storm threw normal life across the entire city into disarray. Metro services were briefly disrupted after a section of the roof at Khudiram Metro Station sustained damage. Flight operations at Kolkata Airport were suspended for nearly an hour due to poor visibility and adverse weather conditions.
Train services on several suburban routes were also affected after trees fell onto railway tracks. The Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red Alert' for several districts of South Bengal, warning that stormy conditions may persist for the next two days.