Dust, rain & hail hits 4 different places; over 40 killed

Apart from the political storm that is taking place in the state of Karnataka, another storm too, is present in the nation, wrecking havoc.

On Sunday, over 40 people were killed as rain, dust storm and hail hit different parts of the nation, creating destruction. Deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi-NCR.

THUNDERSTORM HITS UTTAR PRADESH, KILLING 18

At least 18 people were killed and 28 injured in hail and thunderstorm that hit different parts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Five deaths have been reported from Kasganj, three from Bulandshahr and two each from Ghaziabad and Saharanpur. Apart from this, one death each has been reported from Etawah, Aligarh, Kannauj, Hapur, Noida and Sambhal, Principal Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi said.

At least 28 people were injured and around 37 houses were damaged in the hail and thunderstorm, he said.

“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all district magistrates and commissioners to provide immediate relief (to the affected people) and ensure that the injured are provided medical care immediately,” Awasthi said.

In the evening, the state government had warned that hail thunderstorm, with winds speed of up to 70 km per hour, accompanied with squall and rain are very likely in parts of Badaun, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur, Shajhanpur, Sitpur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Barabanki, Raebareli, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Sant Ravidas Nagar districts.

READ ALSO: Thunderstorm killed 16 people in Uttar pradesh, 27 injured

LIGHTNING KILLS 9 IN ANDHRA PRADESH

Nine people were struck dead by lightning and three injured in Srikakulam and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh, official sources said.

While seven people were killed in Srikakulam district alone, two more were killed in Kadapa and three injured, they said.

Lightning struck at different places in Srikakulam since Sunday afternoon even as rain, coupled with gales, lashed the district.

Srikakulam district collector Dhananjay Reddy told PTI that the seven casualties were reported from different mandals in the district.

Rain was also reported from Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts.

State deputy chief minister (Home) N China Rajappa, while condoling the deaths of people in lightning strikes, asked the respective district authorities to take necessary precautionary measures as per the warnings issued by the Disaster Management Department.

He said lightning strikes, rains and gales were likely in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts in north coastal Andhra, besides in Anantapuramu, Chittoor, Kadapa in Rayalaseema and SPS Nellore in the south coast.

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12 LOST TO THUNDER AND RAIN IN WEST BENGAL

At least 12 people were killed and over 15 injured in different districts of West Bengal after lightning struck them amid heavy rain on Sunday, an official of the state disaster management department said.

Five deaths were reported from Howrah district’s Uluberia sub-division, while there were two deaths each in Paschim Midnapore, North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts, and one in Murshidabad district, he said.

A person in Howrah district suffered serious injuries and was undergoing treatment at a local hospital, the official said.

According to Murshidabad district police, Shankar Mondal (50) was working at a field in Jalangi area of the district, when he was killed in a lightning strike.

In Howrah district, among the five dead, four children, aged between 8 and 12 years, were in a field collecting mangoes during a thunderstorm when lightning hit them in Bordanga under Uluberia police station, a police officer said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government would provide assistance to the families of the deceased, as well as those whose houses and crops have been damaged.

“We do not have control over nature. We will not be able to bring back those who have died, but our government will be beside these families and help them in every possible manner,” she told a news channel.

Reiterating that the model code of conduct ahead of tomorrow’s panchayat elections was not applicable in case of a disaster in the state, she said the chief secretary has been asked to carry out a survey of the losses.

“We are yet to ascertain the estimate of the damages. We will do a survey based on which we will help the families,” Banerjee said.

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DELHI-NCR 2 DEAD, FLIGHTS DELAYED

At least two people were killed and more than 18 injured in Delhi after a squall and dust storm with a wind speed of up to 109 kmph barrelled through Delhi and neighbouring areas on Sunday.

The storm affected flight, rail and metro operations, uprooting trees, and leading to incidents of wall collapse.

The sky turned dark grey around 4:30 pm. Gusty winds and rain lashed the national capital, causing the temperature to drop around 10 notches to 25.2 degrees Celsius.

The strong winds knocked down 189 trees in the city. Four incidents of wall collapse were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar and Raj Nagar in Palam, said a senior officer of the Delhi Fire Service. 

Traffic in many areas moved at a snail’s pace due to the reduced visibility.

The inclement weather interrupted the launch of a 140 kWp rooftop solar plant at IP Extension attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

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PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI OFFERS CONDOLENCES

Meanwhile PM MOdi has offered his condolence to the bevered families.

Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. Asked officials to provide all possible assistance to those affected.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 13, 2018