At least 33 people were killed on Wednesday after a powerful storm, accompanied by heavy rain, caused widespread damage across five districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Bhadohi, Fatehpur and Budaun, news agency PTI reported. According to officials, 16 deaths were reported in Bhadohi, nine in Fatehpur, five in Budaun, two in Chandauli and one in Sonbhadra.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to provide compensation to those affected by the unseasonal rain, thunderstorms and lightning strikes. He also instructed that relief work for the affected families be completed within 24 hours.
In Bhadohi, Additional District Magistrate Kunwar Virendra Kumar Maurya said reports of uprooted trees, damaged houses and fallen electricity poles were coming in from several areas. He said restoration and rescue operations were hampered as mobile networks were disrupted due to the storm.
Maurya added that sub-divisional magistrates, tehsildars, district officials and police teams were inspecting affected areas and carrying out relief work across all three tehsils of the district.
In a post on X, Bhadohi police said 16 people died in separate dust-storm-related incidents in the district, while six others were injured. Two of the injured were reported to be in serious condition. In Fatehpur, nine people were killed and 16 others injured in storm-related incidents. Additional District Magistrate Avinash Tripathi said eight people, including five women, died in Khaga tehsil, while one woman was killed in Sadar tehsil after a house wall collapsed.
In Budaun, five people, including two minor girls, were killed and five others injured in separate incidents triggered by the severe dust storm and rain.
In Siddhpur Kaitholi village under Bisoli police station limits, two girls -- Mausami (10) and Rajni (9) -- died after a mud wall of a hut collapsed on them during the storm, police sources said.
The girls, along with two women identified as Kallo and Neha, had taken shelter in the hut after strong winds began. The wall collapsed in the storm, leaving all four trapped under the debris. While the two girls died on the spot, the women sustained serious injuries, officials said.
In another incident in Tark Paroli village under Faizganj Behta police station area, a woman identified as Laxmi (40) died after a tree fell on a tubewell room where several people had taken shelter from the storm. The roof of the structure collapsed, injuring three others, including a woman named Geeta, whose condition is stated to be critical.
In a separate accident near Bilsi Road in Bisoli area, truck driver Yogesh (32) died after a eucalyptus tree uprooted and fell on his vehicle, police said. Another youth, Anshul Sharma (22), a resident of Sahukara locality in Bisoli, succumbed to injuries after a tree fell on him during the storm when he was on his way to deliver food to his father, they said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hridesh Kumar Kataria said five people have died in storm-related incidents in Bisoli and Faizganj Behta police station areas, while around five others were injured.
In Sonbhadra, one person, identified as Madhav Singh (38), died after a tree fell on him when he stopped to take shelter under it. The incident took place in the Punnuganj police station area, police said. In Chandauli, two persons died in separate incidents in the Chakia police station area. While Munni (55) died due to a wall collapse, Prabhavati (65) died after a tree fell on her, police said.
UP CM Adityanath took cognisance of the loss of life, livestock and property and expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed district magistrates and officials of other departments to reach the affected areas and ensure all possible assistance to victims, warning that negligence in relief work would not be tolerated.
He also instructed officials to remain on alert mode and directed the revenue and agriculture departments, along with insurance companies, to conduct surveys of the damage and submit reports to the government. He said compensation should be provided immediately after assessment of the losses.
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