Dust storm in north Indian states including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan claims more than 100 lives

Lucknow/Jaipur: Dust storm, heavy rains and hailstorms being on a rampage in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the northern states, kill more than 100 people with 64 in Uttar Pradesh and 33 in Rajasthan. The dust storm was caused due to the sudden weather change because of a low-pressure belt created on the Punjab-Haryana border.

A low-pressure area has again been created in Rajasthan as revealed by the satellite pictures and the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the northern states may be hit by gusty winds once again.

There was a sudden change in weather in the northern states since Wednesday morning. Temperatures had risen in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. Above average temperatures were recorded in many areas. This resulted in a low-pressure area along the Punjab-Haryana border near Rajasthan. This was where the storm originated. The dust storm on Wednesday night caused a lot of damage in Rajasthan. Bharatpur, Dholpur and Alwar were the worst affected districts. The maximum casualties were caused due to falling of trees and collapsing of house walls. A large proportion of deaths and injuries are due to collapsing of walls or ceilings on people who were asleep in their homes.

More than 125 people have been injured in Rajasthan and it is feared that the number of casualties may rise. In the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh too, many trees, houses and buildings have been collapsed. The wind speed was in the range of 70 to 80 kmph in both Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Visibility has been reduced in both States due to the dust in the atmosphere.

The dust storm claimed 36 lives in Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The gusty winds and thunderstorms caused a lot of damage even in Bareilly, Saharanpur, Firozabad, Chitrakoot, Unnav and Muzaffarnagar districts. 64 people have been reported dead so far in this calamity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed to expedite the rescue activities. The central government officers are in continuous contact and coordination with the officials in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan government has declared an aid of Rs. 4 Lakhs for the dead and Rs. 2 Lakhs for the severly injured.

Meteorological Department issues warning to northern states, thunderstorms expected in Vidarbha too

New Delhi: Not only Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan but other northern states also have been hit by the gusty winds, rains and hailstorms. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that in the next 48 hours along with Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, the states of Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Jharkhand are also likely to be hit by thunderstorms, rains and hailstorms. The north eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura may face gusty winds as well.

The condition can remain the same for the next five days. As seen in the satellite pictures a low-pressure belt seems to be developing, once again in Rajasthan. The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that there is a possibility of a dust storm, once again, rampaging the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The possibility of winds flowing at the speeds of 45 to 50 kmph and rains in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha has also been predicted. The fishermen have been issued a warning to not to enter the sea. The effects of the weather in the north can be seen in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh coastal area, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Karnataka and in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The Meteorological Department has also issued a cyclone warning in these areas.