Kolkata and South Bengal Ravaged by Sudden Thunderstorms, Death Toll Rises

On Tuesday evening the sky over Kolkata turned a bruised shade of gray, then unleashed a fury that the city’s drainage system was simply not built to handle. Heavy rain pounded the streets for hours, turning major arteries into rushing rivers and forcing commuters to abandon their cars and scramble for higher ground.

Officials say more than 150 mm of rain fell in just a few hours – a volume usually spread over an entire week. The deluge triggered flash floods in low‑lying neighbourhoods like Tangra, Metiabruz and Alipore, where water rose fast enough to sweep away motorbikes, market stalls and, tragically, a few lives.

Rescue teams from the State Disaster Management Authority, police and even local volunteers rushed to the scene with boats, life‑jackets and rope ladders. By midnight, they had pulled out over 70 people from submerged homes, but the number of those still missing or feared dead kept climbing.

“We heard a loud roar, then the water started flowing like a river,” recounted one resident, still shaken as she stood on a cracked balcony, watching the water submerge her neighbour’s rooftop garden. “We thought the worst was over, then the lightning struck again.”

The power grid suffered too. Several substations were inundated, plunging large parts of the city into darkness. Hospitals switched to backup generators, and doctors warned that the lack of electricity could jeopardise critical care for patients.

In the surrounding districts of South Bengal, similar chaos unfolded. The Howrah and Hooghly rivers swelled beyond their banks, washing away roads and agricultural fields. Villagers in the districts of Hooghly, Nadia and Murshidabad reported that the water rose so quickly they had to climb onto roofs to stay safe.

Authorities have launched a coordinated relief effort, setting up temporary shelters in schools and community centres. Food, clean drinking water and basic medicines are being distributed, though logistics remain a challenge due to the ongoing rain and blocked routes.

Experts attribute the sudden intensity of the storms to a combination of seasonal monsoon dynamics and climate‑change‑linked warming of the Bay of Bengal. “We’re seeing more extreme precipitation events,” said Dr. Arindam Chatterjee of the Indian Meteorological Department. “What used to be a once‑in‑a‑decade event is becoming almost annual.”

As the rain finally began to ease in the early hours of Wednesday, the true scale of the damage became clearer: homes washed away, vehicles rusted in seconds, and a community left to mourn the lives lost. The death toll, still being confirmed, is expected to rise as search‑and‑rescue teams continue their painstaking work.

City officials have urged residents to stay vigilant, avoid wading through floodwater and follow official advisories. Meanwhile, the promise of more showers later this week has kept everyone on edge, reminding them that the storm’s story is far from over.