Bhubaneswar: Heavy rains today lashed the city affecting flight operations at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here. At least two flights- Bangalore- Bhubaneswar Indigo and Hyderabad-Bhubaneswar AirAsia- had to be diverted mid air due to harsh weather conditions, airport authorities confirmed
Gusty wind accompanied by rains lashed most parts of the State including the twin cities bringing down the temperature by several degrees.
The sky turned dark and rains poured in for several hours leaving major city thoroughfares inundated with water. People were seen stuck at different places waiting for the rain to stop. “I had come out for shopping a few items for Savitri and rain started all of a sudden,” said Manjulata Barik, a local.
Earlier in the day, the regional met centre issued thunderstorm and lightning alert for 17 districts-Nuapada, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur Deogarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Malkangiri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Angul, Dhenkanal till 2 PM today.
Meanwhile, the inclement weather claimed one life and left another injured at Ambapalas village under Parjang police limits in Dhenkanal district. In another incident, four houses were gutted in lightning strike at Gujabandha village under Mahakalapada block in Kendrapara district.