Summer Rains Lash Kerala; One Dead in Lightning Strike, Widespread Damage Reported in North Kerala

Kozhikode: Heavy summer showers that pounded several parts of Kerala on Saturday left a trail of widespread destruction in their wake. Strong winds accompanying the rain uprooted trees and flattened banana plantations across multiple regions, while fallen trees also caused damage to electricity poles and disrupted power supply lines.

In a tragic incident, a 65-year-old woman identified as Kaari, a resident of Palappatta, was killed after being struck by lightning at Edavanna. She was standing in her front yard when the lightning struck. Though rushed to hospital immediately, she could not be saved.

In the Payyanad area, houses at Pilakkal and Puzhankavu were partially damaged by the storms. Nearly 2,000 banana plants were destroyed across various parts of the region. In Manjeri town, signboards and hoardings of commercial establishments were brought down by the fierce winds, and large election campaign cutouts and boards erected across the town also collapsed. Uprooted trees and snapped electrical lines caused traffic disruptions and power outages in several localities, while prolonged rainfall — lasting over an hour in many areas — led to waterlogging at multiple points.

In Kozhikode, three houses were damaged after a tree fell on them at Mavoor. A house at Olavanna also sustained damage. In a particularly alarming incident at Chathothra Mekka, a jackfruit tree crashed onto the roof of a house belonging to Raveendran, completely demolishing the structure and damaging household belongings. The family had an extremely narrow escape. In Thiruvannnur, a tree fell on a moving autorickshaw, though the driver fortunately escaped without injury.