Lightning strikes kill 10 in West Bengal

Monsoon finally reaches the State

At least ten persons were killed in incidents of lightning strike in several districts of south Bengal as the State witnessed its first major spell of monsoon showers on Tuesday.

While four persons were killed in Bankura district, three deaths were reported from Hooghly district. One death each was reported from Birbhum, North 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur.

State’s Minister for Disaster Management Javed Ahmed Khan said that details were yet to come from the districts and he could not comment on the exact number of deaths.

Meanwhile, normal life was thrown out of gear in Kolkata and adjoining districts after the downpour. Many areas in the city were waterlogged and services of the suburban railway were affected.

According to officials of the Alipore Meteorological Centre, this was the first major rain in Kolkata and adjoining district due to the south-west monsoon.

Heavy rain predicted

The weather office has predicted heavy rain at isolated places in the State over the next 24 hours. Fishermen had been advised not to venture out into the sea.