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West Bengal rains claim seven lives
New Delhi News.Net
Monday 24th September, 2007 (IANS)
Torrential rains that lashed Kolkata and districts of southern West Bengal last two days have left seven persons dead.
Reports said over 500 dwellings were damaged, mostly in South 24-Parganas district where mud houses collapsed or had their tin roofs blown away in stormy winds with speeds up to 70 km per hour.
'So far, six persons were reported killed because of this heavy spell of rain in southern West Bengal,' West Bengal Inspector General (Organisation) Banibrata Basu told IANS.
Many roads and low-lying areas in northern, southern and central Kolkata were waterlogged, severely affecting the train services in the region. About 40 EMU locals of Eastern Railway (ER) and 30 local train of South Eastern Railway (SER) were cancelled.
Several flights to and from Kolkata were delayed and some flights were diverted because of the inclement weather, an airport official told IANS.
A powerful storm damaged over 100 houses in East Midnapore Sunday. Many trees and electric poles were uprooted in Asansol areas of Burdwan, disrupting power supply in the district.
According to official sources, Arun Ghosh, 35, of Bakunthapur and Tapan Mandal, 35, of Canning in South 24-Parganas died of electrocution.
Anita Adhikary, 35, was killed and her 12-year-old daughter Pinki was injured when their mud-walled house caved in at Nodakhali village in South 24-Parganas.
Atmajan Bibi, 45, was killed and her husband and daughter were seriously injured when their thatched hut collapsed. Chhabi Manna, 35, was also killed in the same district when the parapet under which she took cover during the rain gave away.
In West Midnapore's Danton, Lakshman Gharai, 65, was killed in a house collapse.
The meteorogical office said the squally weather and heavy spell of rain would continue for next 24 hours in southern West Bengal. A low-pressure belt has formed over west-central Bay of Bengal and has intensified into a depression. The intensity of the storm would be more in the coastal areas.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out into the sea, officials added.  Email this story to a friend
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