At least 16 people were killed and 27 others injured as thunderstorm hit several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday as Met department has issued another set of warnings of storm and rain that is expected to ravage eastern and central parts of state between May 12 and 15.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is in Karnataka for election campaigning, has expressed grief over the tragedy. He also instructed officers concerned to provide immediate relief to the affected families and proper treatment for injured.
Etawah, Agra, Kanpur Dehat and Mathura were worst-affected districts as gusty winds which blew at the speed of around 100 km per hour uprooting electric and telephone poles reducing them to mangled metallic mash.
Reports from Etawah said that four people, including a woman, died while as many were injured in thunderstorm-related incidents. The injured were rushed to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital.
Addition district magistrate Jitendra Kumar Kushwaha said that Ratan Singh (63), resident of Pachpeda village in Jaswant Nagar Tehsil, Akil Ahmad (50) of Bichpuri Kheda, Urmila Devi (40) hailed Rukunpura and Omprakash (45) from Kusaina area died in house collapse due to thunderstorm. The financial help to the families of deceased was being provided, he added.
Samajwadi Party (SP) senior leader and Jaswant Nagar MlA Shivpal Singh Yadav also expressed grief over deaths and demanded Rs 20 lakh for the families of deceased. Mango crops and other crops were also damaged in incidents.
Reports from Mathura said that three people including two women died in last night sand storm and hailstorm. Shakuntala Devi (55) died as electric poll fell on her in Taiti village while Bhagwati (38) died when tractor-trolley overturned in Khanjaravas village. Mukhtayari, hailed from same area, severely injured by electric poll succumbed to her injuries during treatment. Apart from that several others were injured in thunderstorm accidents last night.
In Aligarh Anita Devi (28) resident of Bharatpur village and Vijay Singh resident of Satlauni village died while some others including Beena, lakshmi and a child severely injured last night.
District magistrate Chandra bhushan Singh here said that revenue officers were instructed to calculate the damage speedily so that help could be provided to affected persons. Financial help for the families of deceased will be provided after their post-mortem report, he said.
Sources here in state capital said that Narendra (22) died when a tree got uprooted and fell on him in Mangalpur village in Kanpur Dehat. Apart from that four people were reportedly injured in Mangalpur and Munni Kheda village accidents last night.
Two children Sidhhu (6) and Krishna (5) were severely injured when a decrepit building of a closed primary school collapsed last night in Sitapur. Both were rushed to district hospital where their condition was stated to be critical.
Sources said that one person each from Aligarh, Agra and Mathura district died while power supply and traffic management were disrupted due to thunderstorm last night. Instructions were given to calculate the loss due to calamity last night, they said.
As many as 73 people died in hailstorm, lightning and dust storms last week and with 43 causalities and 51 injured, Agra was the worst affected.
Meanwhile Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to extend relief to the affected people. “Go to the villages and extend help to them”, he said in a communique.