BERHAMPUR: Normal life was thrown out of gear across Ganjam after heavy rain accompanied by hailstorm and lightning lashed the district, particularly Berhampur city on Saturday.
A 15-year-old boy of Narayanpur village lost his life after being struck by lightning while he was returning home from Bomkai village. He was taken to Digapahandi hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Though the sudden rain, which began at around 12 pm, initially brought relief for the people, it soon started pouring heavily, submerging roads and houses specially those in low-lying areas. Even the ground floor of MKCG medical college and hospital was completely waterlogged. The downpour continued till around 2 pm in which Berhampur town recorded the highest rainfall.
Citizens were gripped by panic as they were not prepared to deal with the situation. Residents of Berhampur town blamed the BeMC for its apathy in repairing or cleaning the drains as most of them were clogged with waste leading to a flood-like situation.
While the roads and many houses were submerged in knee-deep water, trees got uprooted in several places. After the rain stopped, fire fighters reached the affected areas and began dewatering and clearing the roads of broken tree branches. They also rescued a 50-year-old woman of Premnagar who was stuck in her house in waist-deep water.
Collector Dibyajyoti Parida directed the departments concerned to visit the affected areas to take stock of the situation. Till last report came in, the rainwater had receded in several areas but muddy roads and garbage scattered all around posed inconvenience for commuters.