A minimum of 7 individuals were eliminated and numerous others hurt as lightning and thunderstorms struck south Bengal districts on Friday afternoon, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) releasing a red alert.
< source media ="(min-width:768px)" alt ="The storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 88 kmph, hit Kolkata, uprooting trees in more than 30 locations across the city. (PTI)" > < img src ="https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/05/29/400x225/The-storm--with-wind-speeds-reaching-up-to-88-kmph_1780069249644.jpg"alt ="The storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 88 kmph, hit Kolkata, uprooting trees in more than 30 locations across the city. (PTI)"title ="The storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 88 kmph, hit Kolkata, uprooting trees in more than 30 locations across the city. (PTI)"width ="360"height ="202"loading ="eager">” Seven individuals were eliminated and some have actually been hurt as lightning and thunderstorms struck several districts, consisting of Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore and Purulia. The deaths and injuries were mostly triggered by lightning, wall collapse and electrocution,”primary minister Suvendu Adhikari stated.
He revealed payment of 4 lakh each to the near relative of the deceased. He included that the federal government would bear the treatment expenses of those hurt.
A squall, with wind speeds rising to 88 kmph, struck Kolkata, rooting out trees in more than 30 places throughout the city. A number of automobiles were harmed after tree branches fell on them. Street light posts and traffic signals likewise collapsed as the storm swept through the city.
“A squall line– a group of storms set up in a line and covering a big location– struck numerous districts in south Bengal on Friday afternoon. The squall line extended over more than 600 km. The squall which passed over Kolkata had a windspeed of around 88 km per hour and lasted for 2 minutes. The one that struck Dum (NSCBI location) had actually windspeed rising to 74 km per hour,” stated an IMD authorities in Kolkata.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport authorities stated some flights were diverted while others were postponed. There were, nevertheless, no cancellations.
