23 lightning, rain-related deaths in Bihar; parts of country

At least 23 people were killed in

separate incidents of lightning strike and wall collapse

triggered by squall in Bihar today, even as hot weather

conditions continued in many parts of the country and heat-

related toll in Odisha climbed to 12.

However, in a good news, the onset of the southwest

monsoon is likely to advance due to a deep depression over the

Bay of Bengal. The MeT department said that rains were likely

to begin in Kerala by May 30-31, marking the onset of monsoon

in the country.

In parts of the national capital, the mercury was below

the 40-degree mark with some areas in the city witnessing

rainfall.

The Safdarjung observatory registered a high of 36.3

degrees Celsius while areas under Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge and

Ayanagar observatories recorded maximum temperatures of 39.7

degrees Celsius, 35 degrees Celsius, 35.8 degrees Celsius and

37.9 degrees Celsius respectively.

Rainfall recorded in the city during the last 24 hours

till 8:30 am was 11.9 mm.

In Bihar, at least 23 people, including eight women, were

killed in separate lightning and rain-related incidents.

Eighteen persons were killed after lightning struck them

across eight districts, while five persons were killed in

separate incidents of wall collapse during a storm that blew

at a speed of 50-70 km per hour in different panchayat areas

of the West Champaran district of the state.

Of the 18 people killed in incidents of lightning strike

in eight districts, five persons were killed in East

Champaran, four in Jamui, one in West Champaran, two each in

Munger, Bhagalpur and Madhepura and one each in Vaishali and

Samastipur districts, the state's Disaster Management

Department Additional Secretary Anirudh Kumar said.

Meanwhile, sunstroke toll climbed to 12 in Odisha even as

rains triggered by the depression over the Bay of Bengal and a

nor'wester in some areas brought respite from scorching heat.

Two more deaths were reported in Sambalpur and Bargarh

district since yesterday.

With this, four heat-related deaths have been reported

from Sambalpur, while three deaths each took place in Angul

and Bargarh districts and one each in Balangir and Bhadrak,

the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.

The mercury breached the 40-degree mark in only four

places in the state. Angul was the hottest place, recording a

maximum of 42.1 degrees Celsius while Hirakud registered a

high of 40.8 degrees Celsius.

Heatwave continued unbated in Haryana and Punjab with

Hisar being the hottest place in the two states, recording a

maximum of 43.2 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 39.3 degrees

Celsius, while in Ludhiana and Patiala the maximum

temperatures were 38.5 degrees Celsius and 37.6 degrees

Celsius respectively.

Rajasthan too reeled under hot weather conditions with

the mercury settling above the 43-degree mark in most parts of

the state. However, maximum temperatures saw a dip by one to

two degrees in comparison to yesterday.

Churu was the hottest place in the state, with a maximum

of 47 degrees Celsius, followed by 45.6 degrees Celsius in

Pilani and 44.6 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar.

The mercury in Bikaner and Kota settled at 44.5 degrees

Celsius and 44.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

Heatwave conditions also prevailed at a few places in

Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region.

In Himachal Pradesh, hailstorm and rain lashed Shimla and

its surrounding areas affecting normal life.

Una was hottest place in the state with a maximum

temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Nahan at 35.5

degrees Celsius, Sundernagar at 33.7 degrees Celsius, Bhuntar

33.6 degrees Celsius and Dharamsala 32.4 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall also occurred in parts of Kerala, Lakshadweep,

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)