‘Avg of 3-4 deaths due to lightning particularly in June & September’

Kolkata: A recent statistics tabled in the Bengal legislative Assembly on the death of persons after being struck by lightning has pointed out that on an average three to four people are killed in such natural calamity particularly in the month of June and September where lightning strikes are found to be maximum.

As per figures presented by state Disaster Management and Civil Defence minister Javed Ahmed Khan — in the year 2018, 304 people were killed by lightning strikes, in 2019 the figure came down to 265, it rose again to 295 in 2020, in 2021 the number of victims were 260, in 2022 it was 2023 while in 2023 (till July ), 136 persons have died. The deaths had usually taken place from June to September when there is monsoon season. However, the maximum deaths have occurred in June and September indicating clearly that at the start and the retreat of the monsoon, the lightning toll has been maximum. The last days of August have also witnessed good number of deaths.

A 24-year-old college student was killed by lightning strike on his terrace at home in Regent Park just before heavy rains on Saturday afternoon.

The deceased Koushik Kar was a student of business administration in a college at New Alipore. In June, two women died after being struck by lightning at Dhapa. Scientists have blamed increasing pollution for the heavy lightning strikes in the recent past.