3 Crushed To Death As Tree Falls On Car During Thunderstorm In Bengaluru

Bengaluru: On Friday evening, Bengaluru was hit by such a thunderstorm that 46-year-old Ramesh parked his Maruti Suzuki Esteem on the side of the Dispensary Road and waited inside with his wife Bharati and her brother Jagadeesh. But winds were so strong, a Eucalyptus tree got uprooted and crushed their car, killing all three instantly.

The thunderstorm, predictably, left enough havoc in its wake.

Bengaluru's notorious traffic took a hit with vehicles taking hours to cover a few kilometres. The big St Mary's Day celebrations happening at the St Mary's Basilica in the crowded Shivajinagar area added to the challenge.

Fallen trees blocked roads and damaged vehicles - and uprooted electric poles as they fell.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is working to clear the trees and storm water drains while the electricity board is working on the damage to its system.

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Water entered houses in low lying areas like Koramangala and VV Puram.

Last year there was major flooding and the authorities took up a major drive to demolish buildings that had encroached lake beds and storm water drains. But flooding again happened in August and after Friday's rain.

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Sundar Metri, director of the met department said isolated heavy rainfall is expected in south interior Karnataka. The met department predicts more rain this weekend - although not to the extent of Friday night.

Mr Metri also warned people not to shelter under trees in a storm.