Unusually heavy rains, accompanied by thunderstorms and hail, caused the death of 20 people in the Indian state of Gujarat, in northwest India, Indian authorities announced this Monday.
Almost all towns in the state recorded heavy rains on Sunday, according to the Gujarat Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), cited by the Spanish agency EFE.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has classified rainfall in at least six districts as “heavy to very heavy”.
By early Monday afternoon (local time), authorities had recorded 20 rain-related deaths in at least a dozen separate incidents.
Most of the fatal incidents have been attributed to lightning strikes, according to SEOC data cited by the Indian news agency PTI.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of many people due to bad weather and lightning in several cities of Gujarat,” lamented Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on social media.
Although storm-related incidents are common in India, they typically occur during the monsoon rainy season from June to September.
During this period, the Indian subcontinent receives 70% of its annual rainfall, often causing floods and other natural disasters.
According to the IMD, Sunday’s rainfall was related to a cyclonic circulation over the northeast Arabian Sea.
Lightning was the leading cause of death among weather-related disasters in India in 2022, with 907 deaths, according to official data.
The figure represents around 40% of the 2,183 people killed in climate-related events that year, counted by authorities in the South Asian country.
Source: TSF
