Lightning strikes kill 14 in Bankura, East Burdwan | Kolkata News
KOLKATA: Fourteen people were killed by lightning strikes across Bankura and East Burdwan districts during thunderstorms on Thursday.Six were killed and five injured at Madhabdihi, Ausgram and Bhatar in East Burdwan. Five of the deceased were identified as Robin Tudu (25) of Belari, Sanatan Patra (62) of Madhabdihi, Primal Das (33) of Khandaghosh, Avijit Santra (25) of Raina, and Jetu Madi (62) of Mongolkot.Eight people were killed in Bankura due to lightning strikes. They were Uttam Behueya of Joypur, Ismail Mondal of Banglachak, Narayan Sawar of Onda, and Jiyaul Haque Molla of Kotulpur. The rest are yet to be identified. Most of the victims were working on their farms when they were struck by lightning.The Alipore Met office issued an orange warning for Bankura at 9.57am, stating that intense thunderstorms and lightning, accompanied by light to moderate rain, were expected, and advised people to stay indoors. A similar warning was issued for Burdwan at 11.03am.Met officials said that while such strong lightning storms are more common during northwester spells, it can also happen during the monsoon season. “Intense thunderstorms can happen during the monsoon season when it occurs after a few rainless days accompanied by hot weather,” said H R Biswas, head of the weather forecast section at the Regional Meteorological Centre.
