12 dead, several injured as heavy rain batters Rajasthan's Tonk; orange alert issued

At least a dozen people died and several were injured in separate incidents due to heavy rain and thunderstorm in Rajasthan's Tonk district, officials said on Friday.

Accompanied by gusty winds, heavy rain battered several places in the district on Thursday night, leading to the loss of human lives and damage to houses. A thunder squall with a maximum speed of 96 kmph was reported at the Jaipur International Airport.

Meanwhile, the MeT issued an orange alert at several places in the state on Friday, forecasting heavy rain and strong thunderstorms reaching a speed of 50-60 kmph. Some places could also witness a hailstorm.

Tonk District Collector Chinmayee Gopal said the 12 deaths were reported from across the Tonk district -- three in Tonk city, three in Niwai block, two each in Malpura and Devli and one each in Toda Rai Singh and Uniara. The injured persons have been admitted to different hospitals in the district, Gopal said.

A few places have reported water and electricity outage issues, which the administration is trying to restore, the district collector said.

The field staff, who have been active since night, are trying to assess the total loss due to the rain and storm. Once the report is ready, compensation will be provided to eligible persons according to government rules, she added.

Disaster Management and Relief Secretary PC Kishan said the deceased will be given relief from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

According to weather data noted in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday, Jaipur tehsil recorded 6 cm of rainfall, while Malpura of Tonk, Lakshmangarh of Sikar, Pilani of Jhunjhunu, Bonli of Sawai Madhopur, Hindaun of Karauli, Sambhar of Jaipur, Chaksu of Jaipur, Chomu of Jaipur and Sarwar of Ajmer recorded 5 cm each. Several other places across the state recorded 1 to 4 cm of rainfall.

In view of the bad weather, the MeT on Friday issued an orange alert for northern parts of the state, including Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar, Nagaur, Jaipur, Dausa, Bharatpur, Dhaulpur, Karauli districts.

“Thunderstorms will continue in the districts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, and Kota divisions on May 27 as well,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a weather bulletin.

“Due to the activation of another new Western Disturbance from May 28, the thunderstorms will intensify again. There is a strong possibility of an intense storm, 50 to 70 kmph strong winds, heavy rain and lightning and hailstorm at some places,” a MeT official said.