Bhubaneswar: Heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Odisha including the capital Bhubaneswar and neighbouring Cuttack cities Wednesday, while two persons were reported to have died in rain-related incidents in the state.
According to the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, a maximum rainfall of 50.1 mm was reported in Bhubaneswar city from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Wednesday, followed by Bolangir (46.5 mm).
Around 40.4 mm of rain was reported in the Balasore district, while Jagatsinghpur weather station recorded a rainfall of 32.2 mm during the same period.
Other places which witnessed heavy rainfall included Nabarangpur (31.2 mm), Koraput (20 mm), Keonjhar (14.2 mm), and Paralakhemundi (10 mm), the weather office said.
Two persons reportedly died in the heavy rainfall-related incidents in Ganjam and Balasore districts, sources said.
A 57-year-old man died after falling into an open drain near the playground of MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur Wednesday afternoon.
Locals rescued the man and took him to the medical college and hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, police said.
The deceased was identified as Mahendra Panigrahi.
“We have registered an unnatural death case and launched an investigation,” a police officer said.
The police, however, did not know how the man fell into the drain.
The matter is under investigation.
The family members of the deceased are yet to lodge any complaint with the police, the Superintendent of Police of Berhampur, Saravana Vivek M, said.
Similarly, a daily labourer was allegedly killed in Balasore town in an incident of wall collapse, the police said.
The deceased was identified as Sadanand Tudu. A portion of the boundary wall of an office of a power distribution company collapsed on Tudu when he was walking past it, they said.
Water entered the houses of people in different low-lying areas of Balasore town due to heavy rainfall.
A section of the parapet at Cuttack’s Shishu Bhawan, a government-run pediatric hospital, collapsed this afternoon. No one was hurt in the incident, officials said. Several vehicles parked near the wall were damaged in the incident.
Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde inspected the building and instructed the officials concerned to take corrective measures to strengthen the structure, the officials said.
A portion of the Cuttack city road was damaged in the heavy rain, while several low-lying areas in Bhubaneswar witnessed waterlogging.
The weather department said heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface wind speeds reaching 30-40 Kmph are expected to occur in the districts of Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bargarh, Deogarh, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Angul, and Dhenkanal Thursday.
Besides, thunderstorm activity is also expected in Balasore, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts Thursday.
PTI
