At least 14 people have lost their lives due to heavy pre-monsoon rainfall in Gujarat, in western India. Over the past two days, the intense rains have also injured a minimum of 16 more residents across the state, according to local government officials cited by Reuters on Tuesday.
Videos broadcast on Indian television showed that powerful thunderstorms and gusty winds caused numerous trees to fall in various districts, leading to significant damage to crops and infrastructure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has attributed the ongoing pre-monsoon rains in Gujarat to a cyclonic circulation forming over neighboring Pakistan and the Rajasthan state of India. The weather agency has forecasted heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds across Gujarat until Thursday.
Local officials in Gujarat have confirmed the casualties and injuries caused by the rains. They stated that the number of deaths has reached 14, with 16 people injured so far.
Anju Sharma, the secretary of Gujarat’s Agriculture Department, mentioned, “We have not yet received reports of crop damage.” Gujarat, a coastal state, is a major producer of cotton, cumin, and rice. Sharma added that all district administrations in the state are assessing the extent of the damage and will send reports to the department later today.
This heavy pre-monsoon rainfall follows similar incidents in April, when heavy rains across some eastern and central Indian states and parts of Nepal resulted in over 100 fatalities.
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