Bengaluru Rains: Heavy Rain and Hailstorm Lashes City As Karnataka’s Capital Records 78 mm of Rainfall (Watch Videos)

At least seven people, including three children, were killed Wednesday evening after a compound wall at the historic Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed during a severe thunderstorm and heavy rainfall in Karnataka's Bengaluru. The tragedy occurred as heavy rains and a rare hailstorm lashed the city, providing a sharp but deadly break from an intense weeks-long heatwave. Emergency services and local residents worked through the downpour to recover victims trapped under the debris in the Shivajinagar area.

Tragedy at Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru

The incident took place around 5:30 PM when relentless rain and gusty winds weakened a section of the hospital’s boundary wall. According to police reports, the victims were primarily street vendors and pedestrians who had sought shelter near the wall to escape the sudden downpour. Bengaluru Wall Collapse: 7 Feared Dead As Government-Run Bowring Hospital’s Compound Wall Collapses Amid Heavy Rain and Thunderstorm (Watch Videos).

Not Snow It’s Hailstorm in Bengaluru!

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the site late Wednesday night, ordering an immediate investigation into the structural integrity of the wall. The state government has announced a compensation of INR 5 lakh for the families of the deceased and confirmed that the seven injured individuals are receiving free medical treatment.

City-Wide Disruptions and Infrastructure Damage

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 78 mm of rainfall within just a few hours. The storm, which was accompanied by hailstones in areas like Shantinagar and Indiranagar, caused widespread chaos:

• Tree Falls: Over 50 trees and numerous electric poles were uprooted across the city, damaging parked vehicles and blocking key transit routes.
• Traffic Gridlock: Major junctions, including MG Road, Town Hall, and Corporation Circle, reported massive waterlogging, leading to road cave-ins and slow-moving traffic.
• Public Transport: Rainwater reportedly entered the premises of Jayanagar Metro Station, while flooded roads in Wilson Garden and Lakkasandra left several auto-rickshaws and commuters stranded.

Severe Weather Struck Bengaluru

#BengaluruRains

Wall Collapse at Bowring Hospital

Bookworm in Bengaluru Flooded

IMD Forecast and Yellow Alert

The IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for Bengaluru and 25 other districts in Karnataka, forecasting continued thunderstorm activity and gusty winds of 40–50 kmph over the next 48 hours. While the rain has brought down temperatures from the mid-30s to more comfortable levels, the weather office warned that high humidity and pre-monsoon "mango showers" could trigger more localised, intense rainfall through May 1. Bengaluru Wall Collapse: 2 Injured After House Wall Collapses Due to Heavy Rains in JJ Nagar (Watch Video).

Before Wednesday’s storm, Bengaluru had been enduring one of its hottest Aprils on record, with temperatures frequently hitting 37 degrees Celsius -nearly 4 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average. This pre-monsoon spell marks the first significant rainfall the city has seen in months, though the fatal wall collapse has quickly turned the much-anticipated relief into a period of mourning and a fresh debate over urban infrastructure safety.

Netizens Share Photos and Videos of Bengaluru Rains

As heavy rainfall continued to lash parts of Bengaluru, local residents took to social media to share photos and videos of the rain. Sharing a video, one user wrote, "Not snow it's hailstorm in Bengaluru!", while a secind user said, "Severe weather struck Bengaluru". A third user wrote, "Bengaluru today evening witnessed about 6 cm of rain and hailstone in 30 minutes".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2026 10:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).