At least 111 people died and 72 were injured in 26 districts after hailstorm, heavy rain and lightning wreaked havoc across the state between Wednesday and Thursday morning, according to Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the damage caused by storm, rain, and lightning in Uttar Pradesh. He directed officials to accelerate relief operations, restore power supply and ensure compensation to affected families.
Officials said the high death toll resulted from a lethal combination of extremely high wind speeds, fragile infrastructure, lightning exposure and the timing of the weather event.
Strong winds with velocities ranging from 74 to 130 kmph hit several districts, the met office said, adding that the highest wind speed of 130 kmph was recorded in Bareilly and Prayagraj districts.
“Thunderstorms or dust storms are not unusual during this season. The unusual phenomenon was its speed which was recorded in excess of 100 kmph at several places,” said Mohd Danish, a senior scientist at the Lucknow met office.
The storm originated from north-west UP and moved towards the state’s eastern region, according to the met office.
The met office also said the storm resulted from western disturbances active over Jammu and Kashmir, coupled with cyclonic circulations over western Central Uttar Pradesh.
Chandauli was lashed by winds at 113 kmph, Badaun at 109 kmph, Mirzapur and Rampur at 107 kmph and Moradabad at 102 kmph. Unnao and Shamli at 96 kmph, Rae Bareli 94, Rampur at 93 kmph, the met office said.
Disaster management officials said such wind speeds dramatically increase the possibility of structural failure, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where many homes have tin sheets, temporary roofing, ageing brick walls or loosely anchored structures.
“The fatalities largely occurred because people were caught in structurally unsafe locations when the storm struck suddenly,” a senior official said.
In a statement, the relief commissioner’s office said, “Due to bad weather on May 13, including storms, rain, hailstorm and lightning, reports of 111 deaths were received from 26 districts; 72 persons were injured, 170 livestock losses and damage to 227 houses have been reported in the state.”
The most deaths were reported in Prayagraj (21), Mirzapur (19), Sant Ravidas Nagar (16), and Fatehpur (11), according to data provided by the relief commissioner’s office.
The relief commissioner said the situation in various districts is being monitored regularly by the Integrated Control and Command Centre. District magistrates have been directed to launch relief and rescue operations in their respective districts.
The relief commissioner reviewed the damage via video conferencing with the district magistrates and additional district magistrates of the affected districts on Thursday.
Authorities said the timing of the storm also contributed to the scale of casualties. The violent weather developed during active evening movement in many districts, when roads, marketplaces and outdoor work areas remained crowded.
Meteorological experts indicated that intense heat build-up over the past several days likely created highly unstable atmospheric conditions, allowing thunderclouds to develop into destructive squall systems capable of generating hurricane-force gusts over land.
The death toll has risen to 21 in Prayagraj besides five people lost their lives in Pratapgarh. As per the administration, in addition to the human casualties, 20 livestock were lost and five people sustained injuries during the storm.
In Sonbhadra, the storm caused the death of three people. It also damaged 81 houses in different parts of the district, said Sonbhadra district magistrate Charchit Gaur.
In Varanasi, a 22-year-old man Mohit Vishwakarma suffered injuries when the wall of a house currently under construction suddenly collapsed. He was immediately admitted to a private hospital for treatment. Following first aid, he was referred to the Trauma Center at BHU for advanced medical care.
In Mirzapur, the fatalities include six deaths in the Padri police station area; three each in Kachhwa and Adalhat; and one each in Dehat Kotwali, Chil, Chunar, Santnagar, and Lalganj.
In Badaun district, five people, including two young girls, lost their lives as collapsing walls, uprooted trees and storm-related accidents wreaked havoc across the Bisauli region.
Bisauli tehsildar Surendra Kumar said revenue officials had been directed to assess crop losses, particularly damage to maize and other standing crops, along with property destruction and human casualties.
Meanwhile, in Sambhal district, two people died in separate incidents in Gangheta village under the Kaila Devi police station area after the fierce storm and heavy rainfall struck the region.
346.4 million red and orange warning messages sent to public
Following the severe weather warning issued by the Indian Meteorological Department, the control room in the relief commissioner’s office has sent 346.4 million red and orange warning messages to the general public through the Sachet portal. The relief commissioner stated that the control room has been placed on high alert and instructions have been given to monitor the relief assistance being provided to affected families. He stated that calls received on the relief disaster Helpline number 1070 are being promptly resolved and immediate assistance is being provided.