Storm wreaks havoc in UP, kills over 100

More than 100 people were killed after a powerful storm swept through India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), bringing heavy rain, hail and widespread destruction.

Authorities said at least 104 people died across around a dozen districts in the country’s most populous state, with the worst-hit areas located around the pilgrimage city of Prayagraj, according to Reuters.

Fifty-nine people were injured, while 87 houses and 114 livestock were also damaged or killed in the storm.

The office of the state’s relief commissioner, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, told Reuters that strong winds, hail and intense rainfall caused extensive devastation across several districts.

Storms are common in northern India during the hot season between March and June before the arrival of the monsoon, but officials described Wednesday’s weather event as particularly severe.

Residents recounted scenes of panic as dark clouds and powerful winds engulfed towns and villages within minutes.

“The entire area where we live turned black for around half an hour,” said Ashok Rai, a resident of Obra in Sonbhadra district, a coal-producing industrial region.

“Strong winds lifted hoardings and signboards and thick coal dust from the ground and hurled them around,” he added.

Television footage showed uprooted trees, collapsed roadside structures and billboards crashing onto vehicles after the storm tore through populated areas.

In one widely broadcast video from Bareilly district, strong winds lifted a man into the air after he clung to a tin structure.

Local media reported that he survived despite sustaining injuries.

Officials said many of the deaths were caused by falling trees and collapsing walls as intense winds battered homes and marketplaces.

Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state governed by Bharatiya Janata Party, directed local authorities to provide immediate assistance to affected families and ensure financial relief was distributed within 24 hours.

Rescue and relief operations were continuing on Thursday as authorities assessed the full extent of the damage.