Normal life was derailed in western UP

Normal life was derailed in western Uttar Pradesh as a high velocity storm lashed the region  on Wednesday night, resulting in deaths of about hundred persons beside leaving over hundred others critically injured. 

The storm also played havoc for farmers as large-scale damage was reported to standing crops and as per rought estimates, the losses could well run into several crore rupees. 

The maximum causalities were reported from Agra. While the government put the state-wide death toll at 70 and 83 inujred, officials claimed that the death toll could spike further as more reports were pouring in from other parts of the state.

Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, who was away in Karnatka campaigning for the BJP, issued an advisory to officers and directed them to personally monitor relief operations and provide necessary medical facilities to the affected persons. Asking t he District Magistrates to be on high alert, the CM said that no laxity would be tolerated in providing succour to the needy.

Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said that the high velocity storm accompanied with lightening and hailstorm struck the state on Wednesday night leaving 70 dead and 83 others injured. The injured were admitted to state-run hospital where the condition of several victims was stated to be serious.

Kumar said that 43 people died in Agra followed by three each in Bijnore and Kanpur Dehat, two each in Saharanpur, Kanpur City, Hamirpur and Mirzapur and one each in Bareilly, Rae Bareli, Chitrakoot, Philibhit, Mathura, Amroha, Banda, Sitapur, Sambhal, Etawah, Allahabad, Rampur and Unnao.  

“Among the 83 injured 51 are from Agra which faced the maximum brunt of the storm. It is not clear as to how many people died in house collapse or lightening and reports are still being collected. There are reports that some people died of lightening too,” Kumar said. 

Besides human loss, 156 cattle also perished in the storm as trees fell on cattle sheds killing the animals.

“The intensity of the storm was so high that trees were uprooted and fell on buildings flattening them. People inside the house died instantly. In villages, mud walls collapsed killing the inmates,” the official said. 

The 130 kmph storm mangled and destroyed electric and telephone poles. “We have not been able to restore communication with the people but the damage has been intense,” the Relief Commissioner said.

Director of Meteorology department, JP Gupta said that due to western disturbances, high velocity winds swept across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and parts of Haryana. 

“Heavy rains were also reported from some of these areas. Rains were likely to continue in Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh in the next 24 hours,” Gupta said. 

The Met office has, meanwhile, warned of more thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds in districts like Gorakhpur, Ballia, Mau, Ghazipur, Ambedkar Nagar, SK Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Mahrajganj, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Balrampur, Aligarh, Etah, Bijnore, Baghpat etc.

Government spokesman Avnish Awasthi said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked officials to carry out relief operations on war footing and shift affected people to safer places. The CM announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. 

State BJP president Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey asked party workers and law makers to go to the affected villages and extend help to the victims.