More than 100 people were killed in a violent storm that battered India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, with rain and hail, the state Disaster Management and Relief office said on Thursday.
At least 104 people died in about a dozen districts, the worst hit being the area around the Hindu pilgrimage city of Prayagraj, the office of the state's relief commissioner, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, told Reuters.
"The entire area where we live turned black for around half an hour," said Ashok Rai, who lives in the coal-rich industrial town of Obra in the state's Sonbhadra district.
"Strong winds lifted hoardings and signboards and thick coal dust from the ground and hurled them around," he added.
Storms are common in the northern state during the hot season from March to June, before the monsoon rains bring respite.
"Adverse weather conditions" on Wednesday led to the deaths of 89 people, Uttar Pradesh's relief commissioner said in a post on X.
There were also reports of 53 people injured, 87 houses damaged, and 114 livestock killed in the state due to the storms, rain, hail, and lightning, the post added.
Television images showed trees and billboards uprooted by gusts of wind, with some crashing into cars amid clouds of dust and debris that knocked down wooden furniture at roadside stalls.
Additional fatalities were reported in Budaun district, where five people died in storm-related incidents, and in Sonbhadra district, where one death was confirmed, according to the Press Trust of India.
The chief minister of the state, governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, had directed officials to assist survivors and distribute financial aid within 24 hours, authorities said.
Meanwhile, rain hit parts of the capital New Delhi, also affecting flight traffic at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be...
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched anot...
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been asked to investigate FIFA president Gianni Infantino over allegations that he repeatedly breached t...
Australia and India have finalised an agreement allowing Australian uranium exports for India's nuclear energy sector, expanding cooperation on clean energy, critical minerals and infrastructure as the two countries strengthen their strategic and economic partnership.
For the first time in six years, Indian traders are crossing through the Lipulekh Pass in the Himalayas into Tibet to do business.
India and the U.S. are close to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday after the latest round of negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS security advisers’ meeting, in the latest sign of gradual efforts to stabilise ties after years of border tensions.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
An overnight fire at a popular bar in Bangkok has killed at least 30 people and injured 70 others, making it one of the deadliest pub disasters in the Thai capital in recent years. Authorities say the venue quickly filled with thick smoke, trapping patrons inside.
IBM has warned that a surge in spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is weighing on its core business, in one of the clearest signs yet of how the AI boom is reshaping the technology sector.
More than 260,000 people were evacuated to safety in China's northeastern Liaoning province after Typhoon Bavi brought severe flooding and widespread disruptions.
Two endangered loggerhead sea turtles have been released into the Mediterranean from Türkiye's Antalya province as part of a conservation project to track their migration and strengthen protection efforts.
Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit the eastern coast of mainland China this year, brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides after making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday. More than 2.8 million people were evacuated to safety ahead of the storm.
China has maintained its highest-level rainstorm warning after Typhoon Bavi made landfall on the country's eastern coast, urging large-scale evacuations and emergency preparations across several provinces amid fears of severe flooding and landslides
As a wildfire swept through the mountains toward rural Andalusian villages near Los Gallardos in southern Spain, residents faced a life-or-death decision. They had to choose between sheltering from the smoke or risking evacuation through rapidly spreading flames.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment