At least 41 people were killed as dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital and left behind a trail of destruction.
Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of a thunderstorm and hail that left at least 18 people dead, while 12 people including four children were killed in West Bengal, nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi, media reports quoted officials as saying.
At several places in north India including Delhi, high-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services, reported PTI.
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, the report said.
Thunderstorms, as per the India Meteorological Department, also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
“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,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a tweet asked party workers to provide all assistance to the bereaved families.
According to ANI, as many as 70 flights have been diverted from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to the heavy dust storm and rain in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday.
