Strong winds, rain continue to lash several states; UP worst hit
07 May 2018
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Strong winds with speeds of over 100 kmph swept through parts of Uttar Pradesh this morning, while the India Meteorological Department issued a fresh 48-hour weather alert in Agra where 48 people died in last week's storm.
Early morning rains also lashed Chandigarh and adjoining areas today. The authorities in several states, especially Haryana and Punjab, are on a high alert following the storm advisory issued by IMD.Schools in Haryana are closed today and tomorrow after a thunderstorm alert was issued for today in 13 states. The union home ministry also warned of thunderstorms along with heavy rains, strong winds and hail in the north and eastern part of the country.
The weather department, however, noted that the impact of the thunderstorm will be lower than that of last week. The alert comes after 124 people died and over 300 were injured in thunderstorms and lightning that hit five states last week (See: Fresh squally spell to hit several states tomorrow).
According to government figures, the maximum casualties were reported in Uttar Pradesh, where 73 people were killed and 91 others injured. In Rajasthan, 35 people were killed and 206 injured. Eight people were killed in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab, while nearly 100 people were injured in these three states.
Parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Karnataka and Kerala are likely to get thunderstorms and rain today, according to the weather office advisory.
Himachal Pradesh witnessed rains on Sunday, leading to a dip in temperatures in the hill state. Himachal has been warned of thunderstorms with squall and hail today and tomorrow by the weather office. The upper regions of the state could get snow and rain till Thursday.
In Jharkhand, two people were killed and several injured after being struck by lightning in a village in Saraikela-Kharswan district, 55 km from Jamshedpur.
Dust storms and thunderstorms are likely at isolated places in western Rajasthan, the Met said.
Seven persons were injured and about 200 houses were collapsed in a storm in Nadia district of West Bengal today, District Magistrate Sumit Gupta said.
The storm with a speed of about 90 to 100 km per hour lashed places including Ranaghat, Hanskhali and Krishnagar.
A massive landslide triggered by heavy rains near the Assam-Meghalaya border hit traffic on Sunday. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of National Highway-44 that conncetcs the Assam capital with Meghalaya. There was no report of any casualty. The landslide brought down a massive mound of mud and boulders on the highway.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who cut short his Karnataka election campaign tour in the weekend, took an aerial survey of Agra and Kanpur on Saturday, and visited the injured in hospital. Nearly 75 people were killed in last week's storm in Uttar Pradesh. Adityanath will be back in Karnataka today for campaigning.
