3 killed as storm lashes Kolkata, coastal Bengal

Kolkata, Aug 17 (PTI) Three persons were killed andsix others injured when a storm accompanied by rain hit thecity and coastal areas of the state today. Three persons were killed – two in Jadavpur in southernpart of the city and one at Beliaghata in northern part of themetropolis, Kolkata Police officials said. In Jadavpur two persons were killed when an uprootedtree fell on them near Jadavpur 8B bus stand, the sourcessaid adding one of the deceased was identified as MadhumitaHembram. In Beliaghata, a pedestrian Amar Mukherjee was fatallyinjured when a tree branch fell on him when he was passing byBeliaghata Main Road at around 7:18 pm and was declaredbrought dead at N R S Hospital nearby, they said. At least six persons were injured in different localitiesin the storm. The condition of one of the injured wascritical, the sources said. A major part of the city witnessed a massive trafficsnarl along with water logging in some places in the eveningcausing inconvenience to home-bound commuters. Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said the municipalcorporation has deployed 22 teams to clear the uprooted treesfrom the roads. As overhead wires snapped, train services in Sealdahsection were disrupted for hours. The MeT department has forecast heavy rain in mostdistricts of south Bengal, including the metropolis, tilltomorrow as result of a deep depression near the coastaltown of Digha in the southern tip of West Bengal. Most of the districts in south Bengal experiencedmoderate to heavy rains and gusty wind having speed upto 70km/hour owing to the deep depression, Regional MeT Director GC Debnath said. PTI SCH AKB SUSRG