Heavy rain triggers major disruptions in Kolkata; one critically injured in Maheshtala mishap

Kolkata was hit by heavy torrential raifall for nearly one-and-a-half hours on Sunday leading to widespread waterlogging and a series of accidents, severely disrupting normal life across the city.

Maheshtala mishap

In a tragic incident at Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, a man suffered grievous injuries after being hit by a dumper truck that went out-of-control while taking shelter beneath a flyover during the downpour.

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According to eyewitnesses, the victim was standing near Pillar No. 109 of the Budge Budge Trunk Road flyover at Mollar Gate when the 18-wheeler dumper truck, on its way from the Jinjira Bazar side, lost control and rammed into the pillar’s guard wall before striking him.

The man was left critically injured; local residents rushed him to a nearby hospital where doctors had to amputate one of his legs. He was later shifted to a Kolkata hospital for advanced treatment.

Police from the Maheshtala-Jinjira outpost seized the truck and detained its driver.

Passengers trapped in cab

In another such incident, an app-based cab met with an accident at North 24 Parganas’ Kaikhali near Chinar Park in Rajarhat after falling into a water-filled crater. The driver could not spot it as it was concealed under accumulated rainwater.

Two passengers were inside the vehicle at the time of the incident. As water gushed into the trapped vehicle, its doors reportedly became difficult to open.

Local shopkeepers came to the rescue and pulled the passengers out before police from the Kaikhali Traffic Guard reached the spot. Efforts were underway to recover the partially submerged vehicle till the time of filing the report.

Meanwhile, large parts of Kolkata, including Salt Lake Sector V and several areas across north and the southern parts of the city remained waterlogged. According to civic officials, most of the lock gates along the Hooghly River were closed, delaying the discharge of excess rainwater, which aggravated the situation.