West Bengal Thunderstorms Kill Four, Prompt Weather Alerts

A monsoon trough extending from Rajasthan to Bihar has triggered severe thunderstorms and heavy rain across West Bengal, India. The Indian Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for storms and rain in Kolkata and surrounding districts, forecasting intermittent thunderstorms, gusty winds of 30‑40 km/h and high humidity through the weekend.

On August 5, lightning strikes in West Midnapore district killed four women – Tapas Sabra (59), Sumitra Khamrui (50), Kajal Naik (65) and Malati Patra (47) – while three others were injured while working in agricultural fields. Police confirmed the deaths occurred in separate incidents across the Gamara, Bargai and Radhamohanpur areas. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue in multiple districts, including Bankura, Birbhum, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah and northern districts such as Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, with conditions easing from Sunday.