Gujarat: 20 Dead In Lightning Strikes As Unseasonal Rain, Hailstorm Batter State

Gujarat Rains: Unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in south Gujarat have also led to crop damage and forced factories to remain shut.

Lightning strikes in different parts of Gujarat amid unseasonal rains have killed 20 people, PTI reported quoting an official of the  State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). This comes as unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms pounded Surat and districts of south Gujarat.

Four deaths were recorded in Dahod district, three in Bharuch, two in Tapi and one each in Ahmedabad, Amreli, Banaskantha, Botad, Kheda, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar and Devbhumi Dwarka. All the deaths were due to lightning strikes, the official told PTI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grief over the deaths and said relief work was being undertaken by the local administration.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people due to bad weather and lightning in various cities of Gujarat. I express my deepest condolences for the irreparable loss to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. The local administration is engaged in relief work, praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," Shah said in a post on X.

Over 155 Talukas Affected, Crops Damaged Due To Rains

The sudden change in the weather condition has resulted in crop damage and the ceramic industry in Morbi district in Saurashtra region is also likely to face loses as as factories were forced to remain shut. The rains have impacted over 155 talukas, with vegetable crops and standing rice crops being the worst hit.

"We will begin a survey soon to assess the loss suffered," Gujarat Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel told reporters on Monday. He said the compensation would be paid to victims on the basis of the survey's results.

Rains To Subside From Monday

IMD's Ahmedabad centre director Manorama Mohanty said rains would subside on Monday while some parts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra districts would receive showers. 

The IMD had said in its bulletin that the sudden rainfall was due to a cyclonic circulation lying over north east Arabian sea and adjoining Saurashtra and Kutch regions. 

However, such unusual rainfall incidents are not unfamiliar in Gujarat. In August 2020, 14 people died in a span of two days due to heavy showers and flooding. In 2019, 34 people had died due to rain-related incidents.

As per the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, lighting strikes killed 2,880 people in 2021. In 2022, 907 people died across the country due to lightning, as per a report of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.