Twenty people are killed by lightning strikes in Gujarat after unusually heavy rainfall; Amit Shah is distraught

During the state’s extensive unseasonal rains, twenty persons have died as a result of lightning strikes in various districts of Gujarat, an official said on Monday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed sympathy for the fatalities caused by severe weather and lightning in many Gujarati cities on Sunday, and he stated relief efforts were being carried out by the local government.

Twenty rain-related fatalities from various districts of Gujarat have been recorded so far, according to a State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) official.

The unseasonal downpour that pounded the state on Sunday was blamed for all of the deaths, which were caused by lightning strikes.

The SEOC official said that there were deaths in the following districts: Dahod, Surat, Surendranagar, Amreli, Ahmedabad, Botad, Kheda, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Tapi, Bharuch, and Devbhumi Dwarka.

Union minister Amit Shah expressed his profound sadness at the news of several deaths in Gujarati cities on Sunday night in a post on X. He attributed the deaths to terrible weather and lightning. I offer my sincere sympathies to the families of those who lost loved ones in this tragic event for their irreversible loss. The local government is working on relief efforts and hoping for the wounded people’s quick recovery.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Monday is predicted to see a decrease in the amount of rain.

According to SEOC statistics, rain fell on Sunday in up to 234 of Gujarat’s 252 talukas. The districts of Surat, Surendranagar, Kheda, Tapi, Bharuch, and Amreli had between 50 and 117 mm of rain in 16 hours, disrupting daily life and inflicting damage to crops.

In several areas of Rajkot, hailstorms were seen, and residents were observed enjoying the spectacle of the unexpected downpour.

In addition to damaging crops, the rains had an impact on the ceramic sector in the Saurashtra region’s Morbi district, forcing firms to close, according to authorities.

Rainfall is expected to decrease on Monday and be confined to some areas of the districts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra, according to Manorama Mohanty, head of the IMD’s Ahmedabad center.

According to the IMD’s report, the rains were brought on by a cyclonic circulation that covered the northeast Arabian Sea and the neighboring districts of Saurashtra and Kutch.