Uttar Pradesh: Dust storms claim 15 lives, leave 28 injured

Dust storms in Uttar Pradesh left 15 people dead and 28 injured, an official spokesman said on Thursday.

"Fifteen people were killed in dust storm (since yesterday). Six died in Sitapur, three each in Gonda and Kaushambi and one each in Faizabad, Hardoi and Chitrakoot," the spokesman said in Lucknow.

Apart from the unfortunate casualties, 17 people were left injured in Sitapur and 11 in Faizabad, he said.

The weather department has warned that thunder squall is 'likely' at isolated places over UP on Friday, while rain and thunderstorm along with gusty winds are 'very likely' during the next two days.

Taking note of the casualties in the latest bout of storm, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the district magistrates concerned to ensure proper treatment to the injured.

He also directed that compensation be paid to the kin of those killed and said no laxity on the part of the administration would be tolerated.

Expressing grief over the deaths, he said the state government would extend all possible help to those hit by dust storms and related incidents, according to the spokesman.

The weather department also said that rain and thundershowers occurred at isolated places over east Uttar Pradesh, while the weather was dry over western part of the state.

Agra recorded the highest temperature of 44.9 degrees Celsius in the state.

The state was swept by three major dust storms last month that left over 130 people dead.

On May 13, 39 people died in various districts including Bareilly, Barabanki, Bulandshahr and Lakhimpur Kheri districts.

On May 9, a severe storm left 18 dead and 27 others injured. Five people died in Etawah district, three each in Mathura, Aligarh and Agra, two in Firozabad and one each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat.

Thunderstorms and lightning on May 2-3 left 80 dead in the state, most of them in Agra district.

Another deadly dust storm hit the state in the first week of June leaving 17 dead and 11 others injured. Most of the deaths were caused due to falling of trees and house collapse.

Moradabad bore the brunt of the storm, with as many as seven deaths reported from the district, followed by three deaths from Sambhal.

(With inputs from agencies)