Twelve people, including five in Purba Bardhaman district, died due to thunderstorms, lightning strikes and wall collapse during heavy rain that lashed various districts of West Bengal on Monday night, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

A downpour since the evening on Monday drenched the state capital Calcutta and other districts reeling under scorching heat for the past several days.

"Profoundly sad to know that 9 persons died due to thunderstorms and lightning last night (5 in Purba Burdwan, 2 each in Paschim Medinipur and Purulia), while 2 more persons died due to wall collapse in Nadia and 1 more due to tree collapse in South 24 Parganas," Banerjee wrote on her X handle on Tuesday.

She said that the disaster management department would provide relief and ex-gratia to the next of kin of those killed on Monday night.

"My sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the 12 fellow citizens of Bengal," she added.

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