Gujarat: 20 killed in unseasonal rains, lightning strikes

Unseasonal rains and thunderstorms left 20 persons dead in Gujarat on Sunday, most of them due to lightning strikes, PTI reported.

Four deaths were reported from Dahod district, three from Bharuch, two from Tapi, and one each from Ahmedabad, Amreli, Banaskantha, Botad, Kheda, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar and Devbhumi Dwarka, the State Emergency Operation Centre.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed their condolences to the families of those who died. Patel said that authorities have been directed to pay compensation to the affected families as per the state’s rules.

At least 40 animals also died due to rain-related incidents, The Times of India reported.

Of the state’s 251 talukas, 234 recorded rainfall rain on Sunday. The districts of Surat, Surendranagar, Kheda, Tapi, Bharuch and Amreli districts recorded 50 to 117 millimetres of rain in 16 hours, according to PTI.

Hailstorms also hit parts of Rajkot and Morbi.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted largely clear conditions for the state on Monday, with some rain concentrated in Surat, Navsari and Valsad in south Gujarat. These districts have been placed under a “yellow” category weather alert, indicating moderately intense rainfall.

The weather department attributed the rains to a western disturbance passing over parts of west and north India. These disturbances are low-pressure systems that form over the Mediterranean Sea and gather moisture as they move eastward toward India.

“Unlike typical monsoon showers, the thunderstorms in Gujarat occurred due to convective activity as warm air from the land interacted with the cooler, moisture-bearing air coming from the ocean,” a met department official told Scroll on Monday. “The resulting rains got dumped over parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Western disturbances are not uncommon at this time of the year.”