Toll in nature's fury in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan near 100
Lucknow/Jaipur, May 3 (IBNS) : The toll in the dust storm, rain and hail storm that wreaked havoc in northern India states and also Rajasthan on Wednesday has risen close to 100 media reports said.
Houses collapsed and trees and poles were uprooted in the storm that also snapped power supply in many areas of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana.
The high-speed killer storm left 64 people dead and 47 injured in Uttar Pradesh while in Rajasthan, 33 were killed, taking the combined death toll to 97.
About 100 people were injured in the state, reports quoted officials a saying.
In Uttar Pradesh, Agra district was the worst hit, accounting for 36 deaths and injuries to 35 other.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted on the storm that has affected several parts of the country.
"Saddened by the loss of lives due to dust storms in various parts of India. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon.Have asked officials to coordinate with the respective state governments and work towards assisting those who have been affected," PM Modi tweeted.
The reports said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to personally monitor relief work, provide medical aid to affected in the state.
Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje condoled the deaths and said in a series of tweets that she has directed ministers and officials in the affected areas to begin relief work and restore utilities..
In Rajasthan, 27 people were killed and several injured after a powerful dust storm swept through the state. The storm uprooted trees and disrupted power supply in a vast area beyond the the state.
The Hindustan Times said Bharatpur suffered the maximum damage in Rajasthan in terms of loss to life as 16 people were killed in the district. Nine people died in neighbouring Dholpur in the high-speed dust storm that started around 7pm.
Most deaths were caused by house collapse due to the storm.
Normal life was also hit in many places in Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, on Wednesday after a high-velocity dust storm. Light to moderate rains also lashed many places.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
