Sunday, 13 Oct, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
The tragedy occurred around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday, when a large crowd had assembled on the banks of the Mal River to take part in the immersion ceremony. Image Source: IANS
According to Jalpaiguri’s District Magistrate Moumita Godara, the flash floods struck suddenly and people were swept away. The district administration along with NDRF and SDRF rescued 50 people from the site.
Jalpaiguri in northern West Bengal witnessed a horrific flash flood as eight people lost their lives and several went missing during the idol immersion in the Mal River on the occasion of Vijayadashmi/ Dusshera. The tragedy occurred around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday, when a large crowd had assembled on the banks of the Mal River to take part in the immersion ceremony. Considering the flash flood in Jalpaiguri, India Tracker takes a look at the number of accidental deaths due to forces of nature which include floods, earthquakes, lightening, exposure to cold etc.
According to Jalpaiguri’s District Magistrate Moumita Godara, the flash floods struck suddenly and people were swept away. The district administration along with NDRF and SDRF rescued 50 people from the site. She further added that the search and rescue operations are underway and being carried out by teams of the NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration.
Rapid flooding of low-lying places, such as washes, rivers, dry lakes, and depressions, is known as a flash flood. A violent thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm may produce a lot of rain, or water from melting ice or snow may pour through ice sheets or snowfields resulting into a flash flood. Kedarnath flash flood of 2013 was one of the worst flash floods in history.
Out of 7,126 accidental deaths attributed to natural disasters, 40.4% were caused by "lightning," 9.2% by "flood," and 8.7% by "exposure to cold." According to reports, the majority (50.9%) of the victims who died in incidents brought on by natural forces belonged to the age groups of above 60 years (26.9%) and 30-45 years (24.0%). The worst-hit States/UTs by "Lightning" were Madhya Pradesh (496), Odisha (287), Bihar (286), Jharkhand (254) and Maharashtra (238). Out of a total 7,126 deaths, 533 (7.5%) were attributed to natural disasters and reported in 53 megacities.
Source: National Crime Records Bureau
The highest number of accidental deaths due to the forces of nature that include lightening, floods, earthquakes, exposure to cold and etc. in last five years were reported in the year 2019 (8145) as the year witnessed a large number of floods in different parts of the country. The floods in Kerala, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Maharashtra were the deadliest as they claimed a large number of lives. Though there was a fall in the number of accidental deaths due to forces of nature, the year 2020 recorded 7405 deaths which was the second highest in last five years. Least number of accidental deaths due to forces of nature were recorded in 2018 as the year reported 6891 deaths which was lowest in last five years.
