Lightning Strikes Injure Eight Amidst Severe Weather In Kozhikode, Kerala

Eight individuals were injured by lightning at Kozhikode Beach, on Thursday as heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds wreaked havoc across Kerala. One of the injured is in the ICU at a government medical college hospital in Kozhikode, while the other seven are in stable condition, according to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

The lightning befell at 2 pm and the injured Ashraf, Anil, Sharif, Manaf, Zubair, Salim and Abdul Latheef were swiftly taken to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for urgent attention. The lightning was struck when they were loading the barrels onto a truck. Since Ashraf was positioned on the top of the truck, he suffered severe injuries and lost conciousness due to the sudden impact. He was taken to the ICU for further treatment. A 14-year-old boy Anil, who was selling sea mussels at the roadside along with the man who came to purchase the fish was also injured by the lightning shaft.

In response to the severe weather, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts, and a yellow alert for the remaining 11 districts. The alerts indicate varying levels of heavy rainfall, with orange indicating very heavy rain between 11 cm to 20 cm, and yellow indicating heavy rainfall between 6 cm to 11 cm.

The heavy rains have disrupted daily life across Kerala, causing significant waterlogging, flooding in homes, and uprooting trees. In areas such as Kochi and Kottayam, many residents have been forced to relocate to relief camps due to the flooding. The IMD announced the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon in Kerala earlier on the same.