A sudden spell of intense rain and hailstorm swept across Karnataka’s Bengaluru on Wednesday evening, snapping the city out of peak summer heat but throwing normal life into disarray within hours and causing fatalities.
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The sharp downpour, accompanied by gusty winds, cooled the city after temperatures had soared to 37 degrees, but also led to widespread waterlogging, traffic congestion and flooding across several parts.
Several areas reported waist-deep water, while key government offices, including parts of Vidhana Soudha, were inundated. The sudden volume of rain overwhelmed civic infrastructure, leaving commuters stranded and disrupting routine activity across the city.
The storm also turned deadly, with seven people, including a child, killed after a compound wall collapsed at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, even as separate incidents of electrocution and structural damage were reported elsewhere.
Also Read | Seven killed after govt hospital wall collapses amid heavy rain in Bengaluru
1. Bengaluru rains and hailstorm: What happened
With the rains, the city, from being parched, witnessed severe waterlogging in just two hours.
There was waist-deep water in several areas such as Richmond Town and Shanthinagar, resembling flowing streams. The city also witnessed widespread traffic chaos for long hours across multiple locations.
Unexpected rain caused waterlogging inside government offices, including corridors of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power. The office of Leader of Opposition R Ashoka was also flooded.
2. 10 dead and several injured in Bengaluru
Seven people, including a child, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed due to heavy rains.
The death toll from Wednesday rose to 10 on Thursday, with three more deaths being reported, two due to electrocution and one caused by a structure collapsing during the storm, according to PTI.
The government hospital is located in a densely populated area and sees heavy daily footfall.
Vendors and small businesses frequently operate along its periphery, particularly near adjoining footpaths.
Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to take precautions to ensure that incidents like the collapse do not repeat, according to a PTI report.
“As per one version, it was an old compound, another version is that it was not constructed properly….I have seen that there are cracks in the compound. I have spoken to people there, the compound has to be repaired, and the street vendors and others who have been affected should be given compensation,” Kharge said.
3. More deaths reported amid rain havoc
In another incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Raghu, died of electrocution on Bannerghatta Road near Vega City Mall.
In a separate case in Yarab Nagar, a student, Syed Sufiyan, died after coming into contact with a live electric wire while attempting to park his motorcycle during the rain, police said, according to another PTI report.
One more fatality was reported from Chamarajapet, where Manjunath died on the spot after a cement block fell and pierced through the roof of a house during the storm.
Civic authorities said at least 87 trees were uprooted and 131 branches snapped across the city, disrupting daily life.
Uprooting of trees was reported in many parts of the city, including Malleswaram, Shanthinagar and Seshadripuram.
According to the Greater Bengaluru Authority command and control centre, trees fell in at least 50 locations.
Also Read | Bengaluru rains flood iconic Church Street bookstore, over 4000 books destroyed: ‘This feels terrible’
4. Vehicle movement disrupted, city gridlocks
Since the downpour occurred in the evening, many office-goers struggled to return home. There were also reports of disruptions in Metro services.
Vehicular movement across key arterial roads and junctions was severely affected, with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace.
Several low-lying areas were inundated, PTI reported.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel, along with traffic police and civic staff, were deployed at multiple locations to clear stalled vehicles and uprooted trees, and to regulate traffic movement.
Pumps were used to clear inundated roads, officials said.
5. Bookstore hit, reading community rallies online
The heavy rain that battered Bengaluru on Wednesday wreaked havoc on one of the city’s iconic bookstores. The Bookworm, located on Church Street, shared a series of pictures of the flooded shop with books floating in the water, HT earlier reported.
“Due to Heavy rain in Bangalore we lost 4000 to 5000 books,” the bookstore wrote on its Instagram page. The first picture shows a ground, presumably outside the store, covered in hail.
The rest of the pictures show books submerged or floating in rainwaters that flooded the store.
While many expressed their sadness over the situation, some even offered to help and urged other book readers to pitch in as well.
