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3 dead, houses damaged in storm in Delhi; yellow alert in place
Three killed, 23 injured in severe thunderstorm in Delhi. Orange alert issued with winds up to 80km/hour. AQI deteriorates to 239 (poor).
Three people were killed and 23 others were injured during a severe thunderstorm that struck the Capital on Friday night, causing damage to buildings and uprooting trees, police said.
According to the police, six people were injured due to falling trees, while another 17 sustained injuries from damaged buildings, such as falling pieces of concrete and building material. The injured were taken to various hospitals using police control room vans and ambulances
Friday night’s storm brought winds gusting up to 80km/hour, with the weather officials at India Meteorological Department issuing an orange alert for it with less than two hours to spare, meaning many were caught unawares.
The weather agency said the storm led to a three-degree drop in the minimum temperature on Saturday, and issued a yellow alert for Sunday, when it said light rain and gusty winds could grip some parts of the Capital.
Police said they received a call around 10pm on Friday reporting that a tree had fallen on a passerby in Rohini Sector 16. “Local police immediately reached the place and found an injured person. The man was immediately shifted to BSA hospital where he was declared dead on arrival by the doctors,” deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said. The deceased was identified as Hariom, 30, a resident of the area who worked as a labourer.
The second death was reported in Vikaspuri area around 11.30pm, when a tree fell on a man near the district centre Janakpuri flyover as he rode a moped. “On this call, SI Ramkishor was deputed, who reported that a tree had fallen over a car and a moped. In this incident the car was damaged and the rider of the moped, Jaiprakash, was injured,” deputy commissioner of police (west) Vichitra Veer said. The deceased Jaiprakash, and a resident of Sitapuri, was taken to DDU Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The third death was of a 19-year-old woman who was brought to Alshifa Hospital in Shaheen Bagh with a head injury, possibly caused by the impact of falling bricks, police said.
Also read: 400 calls: Police helpline flooded after storm wreaks havoc in Delhi-NCR
Police officials said the doctors – who informed police as part of the medico-legal case protocol – reported the woman being brought into the emergency in an unconscious, unresponsive state and her father stated that debris from a collapsing wall had struck her.
“The statement of her father and uncle has been recorded who have alleged that incident occurred due to the falling of a weak wall being built by the owner of the adjacent building. We have registered a case and are investigating it,” said DCP (south-east), Rajesh Deo.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.9°C, one degree below normal, compared to Friday’s minimum of 27.7°C. The maximum temperature on Saturday was 38.7°C, barely changing from 39°C the day before. Despite the gusty winds, rainfall in several parts of the capital was minimal. Safdarjung, representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded 0.4 mm of rain in the 24 hours until 8:30am on Saturday.
IMD has forecast the minimum temperature to stay between 24°C and 25°C at least until Wednesday, with the maximum expected to remain below 40°C until Tuesday before gradually increasing. “The skies were generally cloudy on Saturday. That is expected to continue till Sunday, with gusty winds of speed 30-40 kmph,” said Met officials.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 239 (poor) at 4pm on Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin, deteriorating from Friday’s AQI of 180 (moderate). Mukesh Khare, an air quality modelling expert and professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), attributed the change to the high wind speed during Friday’s dust storm, which could have driven up the layer of dust from local regions of the city.
