Lucknow: Storms and lightning across a swathe of northern India have killed at least 47 people, officials said Tuesday, the latest deaths from freak weather that has battered the country this month.
Disaster management officials in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand states said a combined total of 47 people had died in overnight storms across the region.
In Bihar, "The state government has ordered ex-gratia payment of Rs4 lakh [Rs400,000 (Dh 21,642), each to the kin of those who lost their lives," Pratyaya Amrit, Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management Department, said.
Five deaths were reported in Gaya and Aurangabad districts followed by four deaths in Munger, three in Katihar and two in Nawada.
Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds uprooted trees, damaged houses and brought down power cables across the state on Monday.
The downpour also lowered the temperature.
Thunderstorm and lightning struck parts of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, claiming ten lives and leaving five others injured, a senior state government official said on Tuesday.
As many as six persons were killed and three others injured in Unnao district on Monday night, Principal Secretary, Information, Avinish Awasthi said.
There are reports of two persons each being killed in thunderstorm in Kanpur and Rae Bareli districts, he said.
The incident also left some hutments damaged in Unnao and Rae Bareli -- both in the central part of India's most populous state.
Respective district magistrates have been directed to undertake rescue works and ensure distribution of relief in 24 hours, Awasthi added.
District Magistrate, Unnao, Ravikumar said while two deaths were caused due to lightning others died in incidents of house collapse and uprooting of trees and electric poles.
Movement of traffic on the main Hardoi-Unnao road was hit because of uprooted trees which were later removed, the district magistrate said, adding that life has been adversely affected in several parts of the district because of the thunderstorm.
The weather department has warned that thunderstrom or duststorm were likely at isolated places over eastern parts of the state Monday night.
They have warned that rain or thunderstorm are very likely at isolated places on the state in the next two days.
The thunderstorm has left a spate of destruction this month claiming several lives.
On May 2-3, a storm had killed 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, and Uttar Pradesh was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in western part of the state.
At least 18 people have lost their lives in thunderstorm that struck on May 9 and 10 and 51 others in similar incidents on May 14.
