Kolkata: Lightning kills 2 near airport, damages runway device
Times of India | 7 June 2024
KOLKATA: Two teenagers died after being struck by lightning and three of their friends were injured when they were struck by lightning in a field in Narayanpur near Kolkata airport on Thursday. There was thunder-and-lightning in this part of the city around 4 pm. At the airport, a lightning strike blew the fuse of a device on the primary runway.
Shafikul Islam (17) and Jamir Hossein (19), who were playing football with friends, fell flat on their faces while their three friends were found lying unconscious at a distance, with blood oozing out of their ears.An official of a private hospital on VIP Road, where they were taken, said Islam and Hossein were already dead and had black spots with burn injuries on different parts of their bodies. The others were sent to RG Kar Hospital, from where two were discharged. Sanwar Hossein is still admitted.
Speaking about the distance measuring equipment (DME) that stopped working after the lightning strike, an airport official said the fuse wire of the device - which enables aircraft to measure its position relative to the runway - was fried. A notice to airmen was issued and the authorities shifted flight operations to the secondary runway. The DME is being repaired.
The thunder and lightning in the afternoon, with dark clouds, had brought false promises of a respite from the heat. However, the mere traces of rain did little to reverse the maximum real-feel temperature touching 48°C, higher than what was seen during Kolkata's heatwave in April. But there was rain in areas like Garden Reach, Nadial and New Town.
The actual maximum temperature hit 37°C, the highest in June so far. According to Met officials, the temperature is likely to hover around 37°C in the run-up to monsoon's onset in south Bengal.
"The next week is likely to remain hot and humid. There is limited chance of a significant rain spell," said RMC head of weather H R Biswas.