Massive storm kills over 100 in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan

Lucknow/Jaipur: A powerful storm, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain, barrelled through a wide swathe of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday night, killing at least 106 people in a trail of destruction that brought down mud houses, uprooted trees and flattened crops, officials said on Thursday.

At least 183 others were injured as a massive duststorm Wednesday night, followed by thundershowers, snapped power lines and sent tin roofs and street hoardings flying in parts of eastern Rajasthan and adjoining areas of Uttar Pradesh. In western Uttar Pradesh, which saw 70 deaths, Agra was the worst affected, with 43 deaths reported from various parts of the district. The other storm-hit UP districts were Bijnor, Bareli, Saharanpur, Pilib-hit, Firozabad, Chitrako-ot, Muzaffarnagar, Rae Bareli and Unnao.

In Rajasthan, 36 persons died and another 100 people were injured as winds of over 100 kmph hit the region at around 7 pm. The worst period lasted about 45 minutes, according to reports from Dholpur in Rajasthan. But the extent of the damage was known only on Thursday morning.

In Rajasthan, Bharatpur district was the worst affected, with 19 deaths. Nine people were killed in Alwar and eight in Dholpur, officials said. Two of those killed in Dholpur were from Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

The India Meterological Department (IMD) has warned of severe thunderstorms in 32 districts of UP, including  Gorakh-pur, Ballia, Mau, Ghazi-pur, Ambedkar Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Maharajg-anj, Siddharthanagar, Gonda, Balrampur, Shra-vasti, Sitapur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur, Shahjahan-pur, Pilibhit, Rampur, Bareilly, Badaun, Aligarh, Etah, Amroha, Mathura, Greater Noida, Bulandshahr, Moradabad Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnore and Baghpat. The thunderstorms are expected to occur over the next 48 hours.

IMD’s additional director-general Mritunjay Mohapatra said the trigger for the storm was a cyclonic circulation over Haryana. But also responsible were a western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, and easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal.

Power supply was cut off in many areas as the squall uprooted trees and snapped electricity cables. In Rajasthan alone, 13,000 electricty poles fell and about 100 transformers were damaged. Officials said power was being gradually restored.

In towns, the storm triggered traffic snarls. Some trains were delayed as overhead power cables broke. In rural areas, there were reports of crops being damaged due to

the hailstorm. Farmers lost cattle and poultry. UP relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar said 160 heads of cattle were lost. Reports said the wall of an educational institution collapsed, killing 23 persons and injuring 21. Nine people died in Bah and two in Etmadpur and four in Kheragarh. In Rajasthan, about 250 animals perished.

Most of the injured in Rajasthan have been discharged from hospitals. Rajasthan’s disaster management secretary Hemant Kumar Gera said some were undergoing primary treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the deaths and directed officials to coordinate with states to ensure speedy relief and rehabilitation. “Saddened by the loss of lives due to duststorms in various parts of India. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” the PMO tweeted, quoting Mr Modi.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was in poll-bound Karnataka on Thursday, campaigning with Mr Modi. He directed officials to personally monitor the relief operations, warning against any laxity.

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje expressed grief over the calamity and said the district authorities had been directed to ensure all possible help to victims.

Family members of those dead will get Rs 4 lakhs as compensation, and those injured will get between Rs 60,000 and Rs 2 lakhs.