A bolt of lightning struck down a ‘sundal’ boy on the Marina, while a 58-year-old man died of suspected electrocution at Kilpauk, even as hard rain and gusty winds reaching up to nearly 40 km per hour for a little over 30 minutes wreaked havoc across the city on Wednesday evening.
Several trees were uprooted and the branches of many came crashing down while as many as 18 flights were delayed between 4.45 pm and 6.30 pm due to winds deemed dangerous for take off and landing. In Kilpauk, a woman was injured when a tree fell on her, but she escaped with a broken arm.
Anna Square Police said Vignesh (15), a teenager who ran away from home in Kumbakonam on Sunday, died due to the lightning. He had befriended the army of boys that sold ‘sundal’ on the Marina and joined their gang. He sought refuge under one Meeran Bhai, a resident of Ice House who gave abode to such teenagers stricken by poverty.
Anna Square Inspector Ramalingam told Express that the lightning could have hit the boy on the beach opposite to TWAD Board office around 4.45 pm. “The boy had a burn injury on the left shoulder and neck region”, he said. A case had been registered based on the complaint from Meeran Bhai, the Inspector said.
Meanwhile, 58-year-old Kadambadi, a resident of Ayyanavaram, was walking across the Kilpauk Garden Road when he suddenly collapsed and subsequently died. His body was taken to the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital. While police denied rumors of electrocution, they said that the actual cause of death could be ascertained only on the basis of the post mortem.
Trees Uprooted, Cause Traffic Snarls
As rain clouds gathered overhead around 3.30 pm, the hot, muggy day cooled down much to the relief of residents. However, this was short lived — strong winds accompanied by heavy rain pelting down had those outside running for cover.
Accompanied by thunder and flashes of lightning, the wind managed to uproot trees in several areas. This included Brick Kiln Road near Secretariat Colony, Chintadripet Market, Gangadeeshwarar Koil Street in Purasawalkam, Lady Andal School on Harrington Road, Chetpet, New Avadi Road near Halls Road, West Coovam Road, Kambar Arangam, Nelson Manickam Road and several streets in Kilpauk.
Traffic on busy stretches like Greenways Road near the State Human Rights Commission Office and Walltax Road were also affected as trees had fallen across them. A tree that fell in Salaiman Nagar in Purasawalkam damaged the asbestos roofing of a nearby shop, which in turn fell on a pushcart, causing damage to that as well. Smrithi, a resident of the area, said, “For a while, we were afraid to step out of the house. Looking through the window, we could see a bird struggling to fly: that’s how strong the winds were.”
It was not just uprooted trees that caused damage; on Kula Karai Salai in Otteri, a wall fell on a cab parked nearby destroying it. Several car owners said that their vehicles had minor damages from debris flying around due to the force of the wind. The flying dust made driving and riding two-wheelers a Herculean task for motorists. “Those on bikes were forced to stop their vehicles even before the rain started,” said Janani, a student who was on Anna Salai when the heavens opened up. The effect of the rain continued to be felt long after it had stopped. Traffic moved slowly in Purasawalkam, including Thana Street.
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