Lightning, thunderstorms kill 53 in four States

Lightning strikes over Vikas Minar during the dust storm that hit Delhi on Sunday.

Lightning strikes over Vikas Minar during the dust storm that hit Delhi on Sunday.   | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

39 deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh alone

As many as 53 people were killed, including 39 in Uttar Pradesh, due to lightning and thunderstorms in four states since last night, the Home Ministry said on Monday.

As per information received from State governments, 39 people died in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Andhra Pradesh, four in West Bengal and one in Delhi due to lightning and thunderstorms during the intervening night of May 13 and 14, a ministry spokesperson said.

Fifty-three people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and one in West Bengal.

Dust storms and thunderstorms had wreaked havoc on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening in several places in north India, including Delhi.

Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department had said.

The devastation comes over 12 days after storms hit Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.

Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.