Sixteen people died and 25 were injured in a thunderstorm that hit nine districts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening. The regional weather office in Lucknow has predicted more storms in the next 24 hours, NDTV reported.
Four of the deaths were reported from Etawah, three from Mathura and two from Firozabad. Most of them were caused by falling electric poles while some people died in lightning strikes.
Chief Minister Adityanath, who is in Karnataka ahead of Saturday’s Assembly elections, directed officials to distribute relief materials immediately, reported The Times of India. “[I] spoke to respective district magistrates and asked them to ensure compensation to those affected by this evening,” Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar told ANI.
The India Meteorological Department has been criticised for failing to provide accurate predictions, reported the Hindustan Times. On May 2, 73 people were killed in a dust storm in the state. The worst hit district was Agra, where 43 people died and 35 were injured.
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