The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Man killed, 6 injured as lightning strikes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 28, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Man killed, 6 injured as lightning strikes

City Bureau

A squall that accompanied the lighting surprised many residents Accompanying squall, showers leave people scrambling for shelter

SCURRYING FOR COVER: Pedestrians try to escape from the sudden shower on Tuesday afternoon. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: : One person died in Tiruvottiyur and half a dozen persons, including three women construction workers, sustained burn injuries, after lightning struck their work site in Ennore on Tuesday.

Police said a fisherman K. Kuppanwas also struck around noon, when he along with two others were out fishing. The men belong to Thiruchinanguppam in Tiruvottiyur. Kuppan was declared dead on arrival to hospital.

A large number of men and women were involved in the construction of houses for the tsunami victims in Ennore. Around 12.30 p.m. lightning struck one of the houses. Six workers fell unconscious and their legs and hands were swollen.They were rushed to a nearby private hospital for treatment.

Trees damaged

Reports of coconut trees being damaged by lightning were received from at least four places in the city. Police said lightning struck a tree on Sundaram Main Road, Vyasarpadi, around noon. Another one was burnt down in Kannikapuram at Otteri in Central Chennai. Two more trees were also charred at Tiruvanmiyur and T.Nagar , police added.

Squall

A squall that that accompanied the thunder and lightning blew over the city surprising residents and in some cases sending many scurrying for cover.

It went on for about half-an-hour before abating after a brief shower.

It was only on Saturday night that a similar phenomena scorched a tree at Neelangarai.

The weather office here said a squall with a maximum wind speed of 34 km per hour crossed the city at noon. Nungambakkam received less than one mm rain and Meenambakkam very little between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.

The activity was due to "convective cloud development" caused by temperature changes.

This usually occurs during evenings or nights in September, though this time it was in the afternoon.

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