Bengaluru recorded its highest-ever April rainfall on Wednesday, April 29, as an intense cloudburst dumped 111.5 mm of rain over the city’s central business district in just two to three hours, triggering widespread flooding, traffic chaos and multiple fatalities.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Bengaluru City station logged 111.5 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, surpassing the previous April 24-hour record of 108.6 mm set in 2011.
HAL station recorded 34.2 mm, while Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) reported only trace rainfall. Other AWS stations saw varied readings: Bengaluru (AWS) logged 102 mm, GKVK recorded 9 mm, and Doddaballapura just 2 mm. Officials added that 78 mm of the total rainfall fell within about 30 minutes, resulting in some of the worst waterlogging this season.
According to KSNDMC data, Cottonpet recorded 71 mm, Chamarajpet 69.5 mm, Bommanahalli 61 mm and Pulakeshinagar 59.5 mm, ending what had otherwise been a rainless April for the city, which usually receives 61.7 mm during the month.
The heaviest rainfall proved deadly for many areas in the city.
Seven people were killed, and seven others were injured when a portion of the compound wall of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed in Shivajinagar. Most victims were roadside vendors, tourists or passersby who had taken shelter from the rain near the wall.
A tree inside the hospital compound is suspected to have fallen during the storm, causing the structure to give way. The deceased were identified as Mohammed Abdul Haq (52), Fayaz Ahmed (39), Musaveer Begum (6), Latha K.K. (57), Smitha (47), M.D. Salauddin Ansari (36) and Nasimulla (19).
Fourteen injured persons were brought to the hospital, and doctors confirmed that seven were dead on arrival.
Two women from a Kerala-based NGO group suffered fractures requiring surgery, while two men sustained head injuries; the rest suffered minor injuries and are stable.
In separate incidents, two people died of electrocution during the downpour. Syed Sufiyan, a 17-year-old student, was killed in Yarab Nagar after stepping into a rainwater puddle electrified by a leaking pole while attempting to park his motorcycle.
Raghu, a 35-year-old cobbler from JD Mara Slum, was electrocuted near Vega City Mall on Bannerghatta Road. Late at night, another resident, Manjunath (35), died after the roof and wall of his house collapsed in Chamarajpet.
The heavy rain, accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms, uprooted trees, snapped branches and caused significant traffic disruption across the central business district.
According to GBA, 170 trees were uprooted, and 408 branches fell across the city during the storm, damaging vehicles, homes and commercial properties, and blocking several key roads. These blockages resulted in severe traffic jams in multiple parts of Bengaluru through Wednesday evening.
Officials said that 118 fallen trees and branches had been cleared by late at night. While the rain impact was concentrated in the Central, South and West zones, the North and East zones reported no major issues. GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao directed field staff to address all rain-related complaints within three hours of being reported.
In one incident, Bookworm, a bookshop on Church Street suffered heavy losses after rainwater rushed in, damaging 4000 to 5000 books worth nearly Rs 15 lakh.
The IMD’s short-term forecast indicates that Bengaluru will continue to see partly cloudy skies and intermittent thundershowers over the next 36–48 hours, especially towards the evening or night. Winds of 30–40 kmph are expected, along with temperatures hovering around 36°C (maximum) and 20°C (minimum), with the maximum temperature likely to remain 2°C above normal.
