Kolkata, August 5: A severe thunderstorm in West Bengal‘s West Medinipur district on Wednesday resulted in the tragic deaths of four individuals, including three women, due to lightning strikes, according to police reports.
The police stated that 59-year-old Tapas Sabra was struck by lightning in the Thagamara area of the Narayanpur police station jurisdiction.
In the Bargai area of the Kharagpur local police station, 50-year-old Sumitra Khamrui also lost her life to a lightning strike.
Additionally, 65-year-old Kajal Nayak and 47-year-old Malati Patra were killed by lightning in the Radhamohanpur area of the Debra police station.
Three other women were injured in the same locality. Reports indicate that all the women were engaged in agricultural work in the fields when they were struck by lightning during the storm.
On Wednesday, several districts in South Bengal were forecasted to experience thunderstorms accompanied by rain and lightning. Following a cloudy morning, heavy rainfall occurred in the afternoon across West Medinipur, West Bardhaman, East Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Birbhum districts.
Parts of Kolkata also witnessed heavy rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon. However, as of the time of reporting, there were no reports of casualties from lightning strikes in the city.
The meteorological department has predicted that thunderstorms and rain will continue in various districts of South Bengal over the next few days. Heavy rainfall is expected on Thursday in Bankura, Birbhum, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, and Howrah. Additionally, very heavy rainfall is anticipated in the West and East Medinipur districts, with Kolkata also facing the possibility of heavy rain.
Heavy rainfall is also forecasted for several districts in South Bengal on Friday and Saturday, while improvements in weather conditions are expected starting Sunday.
In North Bengal, heavy to very heavy rainfall warnings have been issued for the Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri districts on Thursday. According to the meteorological department, the active monsoon trough over the state, along with a cyclonic circulation in areas bordering North Bengal and Bangladesh, is likely to continue the trend of thunderstorms and rainfall.
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