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The weather office said a squall passed over Alipore in Kolkata district from the north-westerly direction with a maximum speed reaching 88 kmph at 2.45 pm. A squall also passed over Dumdum in North 24 Parganas district with a maximum speed of 74 kmph at 2.29 pm. The squalls were accompanied by heavy thunderstorms.

The Home Secretary, the Disaster Management Secretary and all other government departments are actively monitoring the situation, and the police and district magistrates have been instructed to complete postmortems and other necessary formalities.

On the damage caused by the storm, he said, “Overall, reports of uprooted large trees and various other damages have come in from several districts across the state, including Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, and Purulia. In Kolkata, too, trees fell on cars, and some people have been injured.”

He added that those injured would also be given compensation, which will be announced at a later date, and that he had directed officials to ensure they get prompt medical treatment.

“Many environmentalists have been raising questions regarding the maintenance of these large trees in Kolkata. I have instructed the Chief Secretary to hold discussions with the Forest Department, Environment Department, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to find protective measures, as this season of natural calamities has just begun and will recur at various times. They will look into how to build better protection. Currently, the Kolkata, Howrah, and Bidhannagar police are working continuously to clear the roads and traffic,” he said.

The weather office said scattered rain and storms would continue across districts in south Bengal over the next few days, bringing temperatures down. Winds of around 40-50 kmph is also expected across these districts on Saturday.