At least 16 killed, 27 injured as thunderstorm lashes Uttar Pradesh

The thunderstorm that hit parts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday night has claimed 16 lives and left 27 others injured, an official said on Thursday.

“Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three each from Mathura and Aligarh, two each in Firozabad and Agra and one death each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat on Wednesday night,” UP relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar said.

“District magistrates of all the affected districts have been directed to provide relief to the victims within 24 hours. The DMs have been asked to assess the extent of damage of crops and send a report to the state government,” he said.

Kumar said 37 cattle perished while seven houses were damaged in the thunderstorm. “Compensation to the families of the deceased and injured as well as those whose houses were damaged and cattle died will be distributed by Thursday evening,” he added.

Police said 55-year-old Shakuntala Singh was killed after coming in contact with a fallen electricity pole in Mathura’s Mant tehsil. The second victim, Bhagwati Singh (38), died after his tractor toppled due to high-velocity winds in nearby Khanjara Bans village.

Sixty-year-old Mukhpyari, a resident of Mahawant in Mathura district, was also fatally injured when an electric pole fell on her during the storm. She died in the hospital later.

The casualty reported from Hathras district pertained to a 15-year-old boy, who was fatally struck by lightning at Mohabbatpura village. “The sub-division magistrate and the circle officer have gone to the village to get more details of his death,” said Hathras superintendent of police Sushil Ghule.

Firozabad superintendent of police (city) RK Singh reported the death of Rajesh Joshi, a resident of Om Nagar, due to the collapse of an electric pole. Ram Ratan, a 37-year-old resident of Nagla Natholi in Agra district, also died after a tree tore through the roof of his hut.

Although the Braj region was bracing for thunderstorms on Tuesday in keeping with weather predictions, Aligarh and Hathras districts witnessed high-velocity winds accompanied by heavy rain only the next evening. Many parts of the Mathura, Agra and Etah districts also came in for stormy weather.

A state government officer said the meteorological department had issued a warning for next five days.

Thunderstorm accompanied by gusty wind is likely to hit the districts of east and west UP on May 12, he said.

“On May 13, thunderstorm accompanied with squall is likely at isolated places in UP. Thunderstorm along with high velocity wind is likely to hit various districts of UP on May 14,” the officer said.

“DMs have been asked to remain alert and launch rescue and relief operation whenever required,” he added.

The India Meteorological Department has come under attack from various quarters for providing inaccurate predictions in recent months. Agra district had recorded as many as 50 casualties in a thunderstorm that swept through northern India on May 2. A similar weather phenomenon on April 11 had killed around 15 people.

Incidentally, the previous thunderstorms had also occurred on a Wednesday.

In the May 2 storm, 73 people were killed and 91 injured across 23 districts in UP. The death toll across north India was 134, with hundreds more injured.