Published on November 28, 2023
AHMEDABAD: The total death toll due to unseasonal rains in Gujarat reached 29 on Monday evening. According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), out of the total deaths, 27 were caused by lightning alone. The other two deaths were from a structural collapse incident in Dahod district.
A senior SEOC official said, “Tabulation of new cases is still on and hence, district-wise figures would be updated by Tuesday.”
The 27 deaths from lightning strikes in a single day is more than half of the annual average number of such deaths across the state. From 2017 to 2021, Gujarat recorded an average 49 deaths annually from lightning strikes, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports.
Among the deaths, Dahod recorded the highest at four, followed by three deaths each in Banaskantha and Bharuch, and two in Tapi. Eleven districts recorded one death each. Of these, two persons were reported dead in the same incident in Ambheta of Bharuch district’s Hansot taluka.
Officials associated with relief and rescue operations in the state said that while the single-day deaths are high, they are also one of the highest among states that experienced the impact of Sunday’s Western Disturbance.
“If one observes the pattern, the majority of the deaths have occurred when a person was out during the thunderstorms – in the open or was taking shelter under a tree. In an incident in Mehsana, a youth seated in an autorickshaw parked under a tree died when the tree collapsed after being hit by a lightning bolt. The weather was particularly stormy on Sunday,” said a senior fire services official in Ahmedabad.
Lightning also claimed the lives of 71 animals including cattle, buffaloes, camels and goats. Banaskantha recorded 19 deaths – the highest – followed by 15 in Kheda.
According to SEOC figures, the state overall recorded 27mm rainfall on Sunday with heavy rainfall in parts of south Gujarat. Sagbara in Narmada district recorded 144mm rainfall, followed by 128mm in Surat city, 122mm in Umarpada near Surat, 116mm in Mandvi near Surat, and 111mm in Chuda in Surendranagar district. In all, 31 talukas recorded rainfall of 50mm or more, and 77 talukas received 25 mm to 50 mm. Out of 252 talukas of Gujarat, 235 received rainfall of 2mm or more.
Met department officials said Sunday’s rain is believed to be among the highest single-day rainfall in the past ten years.
Parth Shastri Archive 