Nine people died of electrocution and one was injured on Tuesday.
The victims included a 34-year-old man, Indrajit Burman, who was electrocuted near Garia after touching an iron gate, and a hotel security guard at Minto Park who died while trying to switch on an inverter. A 60-year-old man died in Ballygunge Place East.
Two men died at their workplaces, two after touching lamp posts, and one while cycling past a waterlogged traffic kiosk.
To prevent further fatalities, CESC, the private power utility that serves Calcutta and its outskirts, disconnected electricity supply to large parts of the city during the day.
“The city witnessed unprecedented rainfall in 3-4 hours, leading to widespread waterlogging. We switched off power in many areas for safety. Supply is being restored only after thorough checks. By evening, 75% of affected connections had been restored,” a CESC spokesperson said.
CESC said it had launched an investigation into all nine deaths.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the power utility for the deaths. She said she spoke to CESC chairman Sanjiv Goenka.
“We express our condolences towards the families of the people who have lost their lives because of the CESC’s negligence,” Mamata posted on X.
Mamata’s post on X added: “There is no substitute for life. But we will ensure that one member of the families of the deceased gets a job. I have told the CESC to compensate,” Mamata posted on X.
CESC officials said they would comply with the chief minister’s directions.
However, an official said that of the nine electrocution deaths reported in the city, five were in private establishments because of alleged wiring faults. The other three were on the road after coming in contact with metal posts.
CESC named Prantos Kundu, 62, and Firoze Ali Khan, 50, among those who died after touching lamp posts in Netajinagar and Beniapukur, respectively. Ram Gopal Pandit, 53, died while cycling through a flooded street when he accidentally touched a traffic kiosk.
“Every death is painful, and what happened today was most unfortunate. The preliminary report of our inquiry suggests that two of the deaths were due to coming in contact with lamp posts and one due to a traffic signal post. The remaining five were due to faulty lines inside private establishments. We do not own or maintain the traffic signal post or the lamp posts. Nevertheless, we will abide by what the chief minister had said,” added the official.
The police said unnatural death cases had been registered at Gariahat, Garfa, Beniapukur, Ekbalpore, Shakespeare Sarani, Haridevpur, Behala, and Netajinagar police stations.
A 70-year-old woman, Mumtaz Bibi, was injured by an electrical short-circuit at her home on Mayurbhanj Road in Ekbalpore, police said.