New Delhi: The Finial of main dome of the iconic Jama Masjid in Delhi fell off while the dome suffered other damage after but was hit by a thunderstorm accompanied by a downpour on Monday evening.
Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari, while speaking to reporters here, said that two people were injured by stones and fell down from one of the minarets and other parts of the mosque.
Gusty winds coupled with heavy rain, brought down the mercury level of the national capital today.
A hailstorm also occurred in parts of the national capital bringing traffic to a halt. Further, a large number of trees were uprooted and the flight schedule of several airlines was affected at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)
The high-velocity winds wreaked havoc as it damaged many houses and cars, as per reports.
The heavy rain and thunderstorm also toppled the canopy at Vijay Chowk
A senior official from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the corporation was ascertaining the damage to trees and properties.
Following heavy rainfall and thunderstorm, the temperature dropped by around 13 degrees at Palam and by around 16 degrees at Safdarjung. Between 4:20 pm and 5:40 pm, the temperature fell from 40 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, said the India Meteorological Department.
A western disturbance that is affecting Northwest India brought cloudy skies, strong winds and rainfall in parts of Delhi-NCR today.
“Thunderstorm, along with moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-50 kmph, is very likely to occur in the national capital and its adjoining areas including West, North-West, South, South-West Delhi during the next two hours,” the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) had warned earlier today.
UNI