Eight people were killed and 16 injured when a building collapsed in the Madipur area of west Delhi on Sunday, as intermittent rain hit the Capital and many parts of north India for the third day.
In Madipur, eight people were trapped under the debris of a building that suddenly caved in after two days of rain. The building was constructed about 20 years ago.
“The rain could have been one of the reasons for the collapse. Also, the area is very congested and the houses have been built close to each other," said R.C. Sharma, chief fire officer, Delhi.
It was also a day that took Gurgaon residents by storm as heavy hailstorm hit the area. The overcast skies resulted in a large number of people in the Delhi-NCR area staying indoors.
On Sunday, Delhi received 2.8 mm of rain (Safdarjung Observatory) till 5.30 p.m. — much lower than the previous day's record. At Palam Observatory, 6.8 mm of rain was recorded. As a result of overnight showers on Saturday, some parts of the city were also waterlogged.
The Meteorological Department said the total rainfall received on Saturday, including the overnight spell, was 40.4 mm, over 25 mm above normal for entire February. "The present rain is on account of western disturbances. Similar weather conditions will prevail over the next 24 hours," said a Met official. The Met office forecast cloudy skies with rain and thundershowers. One or two spells of rain may be accompanied by heavy hailstorm or thunder squalls. Minimum temperature is likely to be around 12º Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}The Meteorological Department said the total rainfall received on Saturday, including the overnight spell, was 40.4 mm, over 25 mm above normal for entire February. "The present rain is on account of western disturbances. Similar weather conditions will prevail over the next 24 hours," said a Met official. The Met office forecast cloudy skies with rain and thundershowers. One or two spells of rain may be accompanied by heavy hailstorm or thunder squalls. Minimum temperature is likely to be around 12º Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}Day temperature on Sunday was 20º Celsius — about three degrees lower than the normal average for the season. The night was, however, warmer on account of the cloud cover. The minimum temperature on Sunday was 13º Celsius — four degrees more than the normal average.
Email Vibha Sharma: vibha@hindustantimes.com