A severe thunderstorm that swept through Kolkata on Friday afternoon resulted in two fatalities and left three others injured. The storm caused extensive damage, uprooting over 65 trees and damaging around 50 more across the city.
First Fatality Near Prinsep Ghat
The first death was reported near Prinsep Ghat around 2:30 pm. A part-time laborer was collecting mangoes that had fallen from a tree next to the Circular Railway track when a heavy branch crashed down on him. The branch also fell on the overhead traction line of the Circular Railway, snapping power and disrupting train services. The traction line caught fire due to the impact.
Second Fatality in Chetla
In the Chetla area, around 3:40 pm, a concrete chunk from a dilapidated building in Pitambar Ghatak Lane fell on Pravin Kumar Thakur, a 36-year-old local resident who was hurrying home in the storm. Thakur was pulled from the rubble with severe bleeding and rushed to SSKM Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Injuries in Naktala and Hastings
Around 2:38 pm, a tree trunk fell on a couple near Sree Guru Ashram on Durga Prasanna Paramahansha Road in Naktala. Bijoy Krishna Rana, 29, and his wife Bristi Rana Saha, 18, both residents of Aurobinda Nagar, sustained multiple injuries and are undergoing treatment at MR Bangur Hospital.
At 4 pm, another tree toppled onto Kidderpore Road near the South Gate of Fort William in the Hastings area. Sumona Ghosh, 20, who was riding a scooter, was injured when the tree fell on her. She survived and is admitted to SSKM Hospital, where she is reported to be out of danger.
Other Incidents and Damage
In Salt Lake, two persons were injured when a tree fell on a car near Tank No. 3. Another tree fell on a car near Indira Bhawan, but no injuries were reported. Several vehicles across Kolkata were crushed under toppling trees. A tree fell on a bus in front of Eden Gardens, and a car was damaged by a falling branch on Harish Mukherjee Road.
According to sources in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) parks department, around 65 trees were uprooted across the city, many in the Maidan and Chowringhee areas. Another 50 trees suffered damage, several of them in Rabindra Sarobar. KMC teams were alerted about fallen trees on JL Nehru Road, Mayo Road, Cathedral Road, Theatre Road, Park Street, Russell Street, Kyd Street (near MLA Hostel), Rabindra Sadan, Strand Road, Beliaghata Main Road, Tallah Park, New Alipore, and Southern Avenue. Trees also fell inside the CMRI campus.
Traffic Disruption and Power Concerns
Traffic was severely disrupted as uprooted trees blocked several roads. Damage to signal posts was reported across the city, including Salt Lake. Urban development minister Agnimitra Paul has convened a meeting of electricity utilities CESC and WBSEDCL on Wednesday to discuss securing decorative lamp posts and exposed streetside cables to prevent electrocution deaths.
Damage to South City Mall
The thunderstorm also shattered four large tempered and toughened glass panels on the South City Mall facade above the main entrance. A canopy over the entrance acted as a shield, preventing glass shards from striking anyone below. The area was cordoned off, and shoppers were diverted to other entrances. The hole in the facade was later plugged with plyboards. Sources said it would take 15-20 days to manufacture new glass panels to repair the facade.
