Four dead, one injured as heavy rains and gusty winds batter Indian capital
A man carries flowers for sale during rain at a wholesale market in New Delhi, India May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
A man wades through a waterlogged street in a wholesale market after rain, in New Delhi, India May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
Four dead, one injured as heavy rains and gusty winds batter Indian capital
NEW DELHI - Four members of a family were killed during a thunderstorm in New Delhi on Friday after a tree collapsed on top of the room in which they were sleeping, and one person was injured, the capital territory's chief minister said.
The city experienced wind speeds ranging between 70-100 kph, along with lightning and its heaviest May downpour since 2021, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
"Instructions have been given to the district administration to provide all necessary assistance (to the affected family) immediately," Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said in a post on X.
Flight operations at the city's airport were also disrupted due to low visibility and waterlogging, while metro services were delayed and traffic snarls reported in several places.
A study commissioned by charity WaterAid last month pointed to a trend of weather in some of the world's most densely populated cities swinging from droughts to floods and back again, as rising temperatures wreak havoc on the global water cycle.
Unseasonable heavy rain also swept across eastern and central India and parts of Nepal last month, killing more than 100 people. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tehran says at least 13 Iranians die during haj pilgrimage
Medics transport a man suffering from heat stroke to a hospital in the holy city of Mecca. PHOTO: AFP Tehran says at least 13 Iranians die during haj pilgrimage TEHRAN – At least 13 Iranians died while performing the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid rising temperatures in the holy cities, Iranian state media reported on June 7. 'As of Friday, June 6, the total number of Iranian pilgrims who have passed away during haj 2025 has reached 13,' the health and treatment operations unit of the Iranian Red Crescent Society said in a statement carried by the official Irna news agency. 'In recent days, temperatures in the holy cities of Saudi Arabia have risen to 47 deg C, which can lead to severe heat stroke among pilgrims,' Irna said, adding that 86,700 Iranians went to Saudi Arabia in 2025 for the pilgrimage. In 2024, more than 1,300 people, including 22 Iranians, died at the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where temperatures hit 51.8 deg C. Heat stress occurs when the body's natural cooling systems are overwhelmed, causing symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to organ failure and death. The statement on June 7 also advised pilgrims to avoid direct sun exposure, stay hydrated and take other precautions to reduce the risk of heatstroke. Climate change is driving an increasing number of deadly heatwaves across the globe, with the World Health Organisation estimating that heat kills at least half a million people every year, warning that the real figure could be up to 30 times higher. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Guatemala's Fuego volcano eruption cools after over 700 evacuated
GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemala's Fuego volcano shot ash miles into the air on Friday as authorities said they had evacuated more than 700 people from their homes as a precaution, before declaring the eruption over after some 30 hours of intense activity. Earlier in the day, seismology agency INSIVUMEH reported that a lava stream was building up around the crater of the volcano, which lies about 18 km (11 miles) from the central city of Antigua Guatemala, while some ash plumes reached around 5 km into the air. Disaster agency CONRED said they had evacuated over 700 people as from the nearby areas of Escuintla, Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango as a precaution. Local families, many with small children, spent the night on green camping cots in nearby shelters. Olga Lopez, who was evacuated from the town of El Porvenir, told Reuters she felt it was important to prioritize people's safety. "Sometimes when we grow up we can be stubborn and we don't want to leave because of material things like our houses, but protecting our children's lives is more important," she said. Activity at the volcano increased from Wednesday afternoon, but at midday (1800 GMT) on Friday, INSIVUMEH said it considered the eruption that began some 30 hours earlier to be over. The agency said that as camera footage no longer showed spurting lava or pulsations in the ground, and as there were no longer large amounts of ash suspended in the atmosphere, "it is possible to consider the eruption that began June 4 has ended." This followed some 30 hours of smoke plumes, lava flows and a downward surge of pyroclastic flows, it added. The Fuego volcano is known for its frequent activity. In June 2018, its most violent eruption in about four decades killed more than 200 people. Around the size of the U.S. state of Tennessee, the Central American nation is home to 37 volcanoes, though many of them are considered dormant or extinct. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
More than 700 people evacuated as Guatemala's Fuego volcano spews ash
GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemala's Fuego volcano shot ash miles into the air on Friday as authorities said they had evacuated more than 700 people from their homes as a precaution. A lava stream was building up around the crater of the volcano, which lies about 18 km (11 miles) from the central city of Antigua Guatemala, seismology agency INSIVUMEH said. Some ash plumes reached around 5 km into the air, it added Authorities have been warning of increased activity around the active volcano this week. "We have evacuated over 700 people who have spent the night in shelters. We evacuated them as a precaution," disaster agency CONRED said on Friday. People had been moved from the nearby areas of Escuintla, Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango, it added. In a report shortly after midnight on Friday, INSIVUMEH said a lava flow could be seen stretching to around 1.2 km. "This continues to accumulate in an unstable manner around the crater and in the high parts of the ravines, which could collapse and cause more pyroclastic flows," it said. Fuego is known for its frequent activity. In June 2018, its most violent eruption in about four decades killed more than 200 people. Around the size of the U.S. state of Tennessee, the Central American nation is home to 37 volcanoes, though many of them are considered dormant or extinct. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
