26 dead, over 50 injured as dust storm and lightning hit Uttar Pradesh

At least 26 people were killed and over 50 others injured after a severe dust storm and lightning hit various parts of Uttar Pradesh. A large-scale relief operations have been launched in the state, officials said.

According to reports, several houses and walls collapsed, and trees were uprooted because of thunderstorm. Uprooted trees blocked vehicular movement on the state highways, leading to massive jams for a considerable amount of time.

Mainpuri district bore the worst brunt of the vagaries of nature late on Thursday night as six people died and forty-one people were injured in separate cases of wall collapse and lightning, the state relief commissioner said.

Police said most of the injuries occurred when people sleeping inside their mud houses were caught unawares by the thunderstorm, which was accompanied by rain, leading to wall collapse.

People were also injured when signboards and hoardings got snapped at several places, and fell on them, the police said.

"While six people died in Mainpuri, three each died in Etah and Kasganj, two each in Farrukhabad and Barabanki, and one each in Moradabad, Badaun, Pilibhit, Mathura, Kannauj, Sambhal, Ghaziabad, Amroha,  Badaun and Mahoba in incidents related to dust storm and lightning," data released by the state relief commissioner said.

An official press note said different parts of the state witnessed dust storms late on Thursday evening, resulting in wall collapse and uprooting of trees.

Thirty-one cattle died and 16 houses were also damaged in the incidents, officials said. Massive power cuts were reported from various parts of the state, including Lucknow, as electricity lines got snapped in the gale.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to take all necessary steps to provide immediate relief to the affected people.

"He (Adityanath) has directed ministers in charge of the districts concerned to oversee relief operations," Awanish Awasthi, principal secretary, information, said.

A financial assistance Rs 4 lakh has been announced by the chief minister for the family of the deceased. The district magistrates have been asked to monitor the situation, government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said.