An 18-year-old man was killed in Delhi after a powerful dust storm lashed the National Capital Region in the early hours of Wednesday, PTI reported. At least 13 people were injured in Delhi.
The deceased, identified as Suhail, died after wall in his house collapsed on him while he was sleeping, PTI quoted the police as saying.
The police control room received at least 59 calls about fallen trees, five calls about fallen electricity poles and 11 calls about hoardings or wall collapse, police said.
The Indian Meteorological Department on Tuesday predicted thunderstorms and gusty winds in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh, the Hindustan Times reported. It had also said that parts of Rajasthan could experience dust storms, and isolated areas of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and most of Northeast India can also expect thunderstorms and strong winds.
Power distribution company BSES Delhi said it had put its teams on high-alert and were trying to restore power disruptions in some areas. “The restoration may take longer than usual as safety is of paramount importance,” it said, according to NDTV.
The storm hit the city three days after at least 80 people died in dust storms and thunderstorms in parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi. High-velocity winds had uprooted trees in New Delhi and some other parts of North India. Rail, road and air traffic was also severely affected. In the national Capital, at least 40 flights were diverted and 24 delayed.
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