Three people died as heavy rains lashed various parts of Delhi-NCR on Monday, 30 May.
One person, named Kamal, died in Gali Galiyan near the Jama Masjid, while a 65-year-old homeless man named Basir baba was killed on Angoori Bagh Road after a tree fell on him. In the third incident, an unidentified person died by drowning in a water logged-area beneath Pul Prahladpur railway underpass.
"A call from Sanjeevan Hospital, Darya Ganj, was received in Jama Masjid police station at about 1808 hours regarding a male person, namely Kamal, aged about 50 years, being brought dead on arrival," DCP Central said.
"On enquiry, it was found that today at about 4 pm Kamal was roaming outside his house and suddenly due to heavy rain and storm the balcony of 2nd floor of a neighbouring property fell down over Kamal who was brought to the hospital by his son Himanshu. Till now, no foul play is suspected in the death of Kamal," he added.
The area in Kabootar Market where the family of three was trapped.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
A PCR call was received after 10 pm on Monday night about a man drowning in a water-logged site beneath a railway underway in Pul Prahladpur. Rescue teams, including a fire brigade, rushed to the spot to find an unidentified body of a 45-50 year-old male.
The body has been preserved in the AIIMS mortuary and efforts are being made to recognise the victim, deputy commissioner of Police South East said.
Barricades were already set up to warn people against going near the underpass, the official added.
On the other hand, while Basir was declared brought dead at the hospital after a tree fell on him, two others managed to escape without any serious injury.
Meanwhile, a family of three – 37-year-old Chetan Mehrotra, his wife, and their one-year-old child – was rescued after they were trapped under a tree in Kabootar Market.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said that they had received 294 calls regarding trees falling till 8 pm, as per news agency ANI.
The rains also brought down the temperature and providing much-needed relief from the searing heat.
Jama Masjid Dome Damaged
The middle dome of the Jama Masjid was damaged due to the heavy rains.
"Middle dome finial broke into 3 parts, 2 fell down, one is still stuck. If not brought down & it falls, it'll damage the wall before it. I'm writing to ASI DG to bring down the damaged portion. Falling stones injured 2-3 people," Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam, Delhi's Jama Masjid was quoted as saying by ANI.
- 01/09
An uprooted tree after a dust storm accompanied by rainfall in New Delhi on Monday.
Photo: PTI
- 02/09
An uprooted tree after a dust storm accompanied by rainfall in New Delhi on Monday.
Photo: PTI
- 03/09
A commuter walks past an uprooted tree in New Delhi on Monday.
Photo: PTI
- 04/09
Children shield themselves with an umbrella during a dust storm and rainfall in New Delhi on Monday.
Photo: PTI
- 05/09
Heavy rain lashed various parts of the Delhi-NCR on Monday, 30 May, bringing down the temperature and providing much-needed relief from the searing heat.
(Photo: Ribhu/The Quint)
- 06/09
Damaged vehicles after an uprooted tree fell due to dust storm accompanied by rainfall.
(Photo: PTI)
- 07/09
A fallen traffic booth at Raisina road after a dust storm accompanied by rainfall, in New Delhi.
(Photo: PTI)
- 08/09
Security personnel rest after a pillar fell due to dust storm accompanied by rainfall, in New Delhi.
(Photo: PTI)
- 09/09
Damaged vehicles after Air Conditioners (AC) fell on them due to a dust storm accompanied by rainfall, in front of Parliament Street police station.
(Photo: PTI)
The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) in Delhi said that thunderstorm, duststorm, and gusty winds with a speed of 70-80 km per hour would occur over and adjoining areas of entire Delhi and NCR Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Indrapuram, Dadri, Gurugram, Manesar, and Faridabad.
Rain was also predicted for Ballabhgarh, Rohtak, (Haryana) Bulandshahar, Hapur, Pilakhuwa, Garhmuktesar, Sikandra Rao, Hathras , Jattari, Khair, Aligarh, Gabhana, Attarauli (UP), Bhiwari (Rajasthan).
Traffic, Flights Affected, Power Outage in Delhi-NCR
Traffic came to a standstill at several places as a hailstorm hit windshields of cars and motorcyclists.
Meanwhile, flight-tracking websites showed several passenger aeroplanes circling over the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital, waiting for the bad weather to clear.
"Raindrops and thunderstorms in Delhi may impact our flight operations. Please keep enough travel time in hand to avoid any hassle. Keep a check on your flight status. For any assistance, DM us on Twitter/Facebook," IndiGo tweeted.
Meanwhile, power outage was reported from several parts of the national capital.
The sky darkened around 4.30 pm on Monday evening as the thunderstorm accompanied by hail began.
"Following the heavy rainfall and thunderstorm, temperature drops by around 13 degrees at Palam and by around 16 degrees at Safdarjung. Between 4.20 pm and 5.40 pm, the temperature fell from 40 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung," India Meteorological Department said.
Several Delhi residents shared visuals on Twitter showing cars shaking on the road due to the high-speed winds.
In one incident, a tree uprooted and fell over a car parked in Connaught Place. A traffic stand also fell at Vijay Chowk.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)