Lightning killed two women ragpickers who were standing out in the open at the Dhapa dumping ground on Friday evening, police said.
Dhapa, off EM Bypass in the Pragati Maidan area, is one of Kolkata’s largest dumping grounds where garbage from across the city is disposed of.
The police said Palani Mondal, 24, from Chandipur in Bhangar, and Kajla Naskar, 58, from Sonarpur, were struck by lightning around 5.30pm.
“We received information about the women and took them to the NRS Medical College and Hospital, where they were declared dead,” said an officer at Pragati Maidan police station.
The deputy commissioner, east, Kolkata police, Arish Bilal, said a few people were injured in the lightning strike at Dhapa, of whom two women were declared dead at hospital.
“Another person, named Sanyasi Mondal... has been admitted to the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital. The area is being searched to check if anyone else was injured,” Bilal said.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. An unnatural death case has been registered.
The police said Palani Mondal is survived by a child.
“We are collecting more details about the families of the deceased persons,” said the officer at Pragati Maidan police station.