New Delhi, May 13 -- At least 31 people lost their lives on Wednesday after a powerful dust storm, accompanied by heavy rain, swept across several districts of Uttar Pradesh, leaving a trail of destruction and disrupting communication networks, officials said.
The fatalities were reported from Bhadohi, Fatehpur, Budaun and Sonbhadra districts. Bhadohi recorded the highest toll with 16 deaths, followed by nine in Fatehpur, five in Budaun and one in Sonbhadra.
In Bhadohi, Additional District Magistrate Kunwar Virendra Kumar Maurya said the storm uprooted trees and electricity poles while damaging several houses.
"Mobile networks were disrupted, which affected restoration and rescue operations," he said, adding that officials and police teams were deployed across all three tehsils to carry out relief work. Police said 16 people died in separate incidents in the district, while six others were injured, including two in serious condition.
Fatehpur reported nine deaths and 16 injuries. Additional District Magistrate Avinash Tripathi said eight of the victims, including five women, died in Khaga tehsil. "In Sadar tehsil, one woman died after a house wall collapsed," he said.
In Budaun, five people, including two minor girls aged 10 and 9, were killed in multiple incidents linked to strong winds and rain. The girls died after a mud wall collapsed in Siddhpur Kaitholi village, trapping them under debris along with two women who were seriously injured. In another case, a woman died when a tree fell on a tubewell structure, while three others were injured. Separate incidents involving falling trees also claimed two more lives, including a truck driver. Police said around five others were injured in the district.
In Sonbhadra, a 38-year-old man died after a tree fell on him while he had taken shelter during the storm.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.