PANJIM/PONDA/MAPUSA: Heavy pre-monsoon showers, accompanied by lightning and thunder on Thursday evening, left a trail of destruction. Incidents of lightning striking houses and trees, damage to electrical equipment and trees falling on houses were reported from various parts of Goa. Four persons were injured in one incident at Borim, Ponda while a couple had a lucky escape when lightening struck their house in Guirdolim, Chandor.
Four family members including children were injured when a huge mango tree collapses on house of Khumno Satarkar at Adulshe Borim, on Thursday evening. The incident occurred at around 7.15pm causing a loss of around Rs10 lakh. The house owner who was outside the house shouted and alerted family members inside when he heard loud cracking sound of the tree falling, following which they rushed out averting major tragedy.
The house owner Khumano Babal Satarkar said he and his brother’s family along with their mother reside in house. Out of the 9 family members four were injured while trying to rush out of house when tiles and other debris fell on them. He received head injury and his wife and child, brother’s wife too got injured. Ponda fire personnel cleared the tree.
In another incident, a couple had a lucky escape, when lightening struck their house at around 8pm on Thursday, at Guirdolim-Chandor. The impact of the lightening strike was such that the roof tiles two rooms were shattered and blown off to about 40 meters away. House owner Leslie Barbosa of Covatem Guirdolim stated that they had a miraculous escape since they were in the back part of the house. Two teak trees infront of their house were ripped bare with the intense force of the lightening strike. Their entire electrical wiring was burnt.
In Xelpem-Duler, a powerful bolt of lightning struck a house, causing minor structural damage and damaging electrical appliances. Fortunately, the family inside managed to escape unharmed.
Mapusa Fire Service stated that a jungle caught fire near Railway bridge Sirsaim, possibly due to lightening strike. A coconut tree near Galaxy Hospital, Mapusa was struck by lightening and a tree branch fell on a house at Housing Board, Tivim.
At Ribandar Patto, lightning struck a house, causing extensive damage to the roof tiles and electrical appliances. The owner stated that there was no one in the house at the time of the strike. Friday Morning when the owner came to the house he found the roof shattered. Things in the kitchen caught fire and the fire was still burning till 9am. It is then that the owner with the help of neighbours called the Fire and Emergency Services, who came and put off the fire. The walls were burnt and cracked. The father, mother and sister of the owner had gone to Old Goa to stay with some relatives two days ago. The refrigerator, utensils and most of the things in the house were burnt.
In Bankar Sodiem, Siolim lightening struck four coconut trees and also damaged electrical appliances of one Joaquim Fernandes. Fernandes stated that his refrigerator, four ceiling fans and water pump were damaged. In the village, the occupants of four other houses in the vicinity claimed that electrical appliances were damaged beyond repair on Wednesday, but fortunately the inmates of the house were safe and sound.
In another incident in Siolim, a fruit bearing coconut tree caught fire due to lightening and was immediately charred.
On Friday, Mapusa Fire Services reported that a tamarind tree fell at Gaunsawaddo, Mapusa while a coconut tree fell on a house at Bastora. The loss was estimated at Rs 10,000 while the fire services managed to save property worth Rs 50,000.
