Gujarat witnessed intense thunderstorms and hail in addition to heavy rain, with some regions receiving as much as 144 mm (5.7 inches) of rain in the 24 hours ending Monday morning, Reuters reported, citing state government figures.
The heavy rain destroyed crops in at least 200 places, leaving more than 25 injured and at least 70 animals dead.
At least 27 people were killed in multiple lightning strikes in Gujarat as widespread unseasonal rainfall lashed the state, damaging homes and standing crops, officials said on Monday. The lightning-related deaths occurred within a 24-hour period starting early Sunday morning, they said. Rain subsided on Monday with only occasional showers at some places in the state. According to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), 27 people have so far lost their lives after being struck by lightning in different parts of Gujarat. Most of the deaths were reported in Dahod, Tapi, Dangs, Amreli, Surendranagar, Botad, Mehsana, Kheda, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Bharuch and Devbhumi Dwarka districts.
Lightning strikes also killed animals, while untimely rains accompanied by thunderstorms and hail damaged houses and standing crops, officials said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said that the state administration is engaged in rescue operations.
In a post on X on Sunday evening, Shah said, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people due to bad weather and lightning in various cities of Gujarat. My deepest condolences for the irreparable loss of those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. The local administration is engaged in rescue Gujarat government minister Rushikesh Patel said on Monday that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who is currently on his way to Japan to promote the Global Summit in Gujarat 2024, has expressed concern over the premature rainfall and the loss of life and damage that Rushikesh Patel, who is also the spokesperson of the state government, said that nearly 60 percent of the state has received rainfall ranging from 1 mm to 144 mm in the last two days, causing loss of the kharif crop.
According to him, the government will conduct a survey to assess the damage caused by unseasonal downpours, hail and lightning in some parts of the state so that adequate compensation is provided to the affected farmers. In its latest bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the state is likely to experience dry weather from Tuesday, with minimum temperatures expected to drop by 4-5 degrees Celsius before rising over the next 4-5 days. A total of 27 taluks in Gujarat received between 1 and 45 mm of rainfall in the 12 hours till 6:00 PM on Monday, mainly in south Gujarat districts of Tapi, Valsad, Navsari, Dangs and Surat. According to SEOC data, this was a drastic reduction from the 236 taluks that received up to 144 mm rainfall in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
Apart from causing damage to standing crops, the sudden showers also affected the ceramic industry in Morbi district of Saurashtra region as factories were forced to remain closed, officials said. The premature rains were caused by a cyclonic circulation lying over the northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Saurashtra and Kutch regions, the IMD said in a bulletin earlier.
