NEW DELHI: Four members of a family were killed during a thunderstorm in New Delhi on Friday after a tree collapsed on top of the room in which they were sleeping, and one person was injured, the capital territory’s chief minister said.

The city experienced wind speeds ranging between 70-100 kph, along with lightning and its heaviest May downpour since 2021, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

“Instructions have been given to the district administration to provide all necessary assistance (to the affected family) immediately,” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said in a post on X.

Flight operations at the city’s airport were also disrupted due to low visibility and waterlogging, while metro services were delayed and traffic snarls reported in several places.

A study commissioned by charity WaterAid last month pointed to a trend of weather in some of the world’s most densely populated cities swinging from droughts to floods and back again, as rising temperatures wreak havoc on the global water cycle.

Unseasonable heavy rain also swept across eastern and central India and parts of Nepal last month, killing more than 100 people.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2025