Lucknow, May 14 -- At least 111 people were killed and more than 72 injured across Uttar Pradesh after powerful dust storms, heavy rainfall and lightning strikes battered several districts over the past 24 hours, triggering large-scale damage to homes, power infrastructure and transport networks, officials said on Thursday.
The devastation was most severe in the Varanasi, Prayagraj and Kanpur divisions, where strong winds uprooted trees, brought down electricity poles and disrupted rail and road traffic. Authorities launched overnight rescue and restoration operations as district administrations scrambled to clear debris and assist affected residents.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Relief and Revenue Department, Bhadohi reported the highest number of fatalities at 18, followed by Prayagraj with 17 deaths, Mirzapur 15 and Fatehpur 10. Deaths were also reported from districts including Unnao, Badaun, Bareilly, Sitapur, Rae Bareli and Chandauli, largely due to collapsing structures, falling trees and lightning strikes.
Narendra N. Srivastava, an official with the Relief and Revenue Department, said emergency teams had been deployed in all affected districts.
"District administrations have been instructed to provide immediate assistance to affected families and ensure compensation reaches them without delay," Srivastava said. "Police, disaster response teams and local authorities are continuously monitoring vulnerable areas and restoring damaged infrastructure."
Officials said preliminary assessments indicated extensive losses to houses, standing crops and electricity systems, particularly in rural regions.
Residents in Prayagraj recounted scenes of chaos as strong winds swept through residential areas.
"The storm came suddenly and within minutes the entire sky turned dark," said Ram Kishore, a resident of Phulpur in Prayagraj district. "Tin roofs were flying and trees kept falling throughout the evening."
In Bhadohi district, Savitri Devi said her family escaped moments before their mud house partially collapsed.
"We ran outside when the walls started shaking because of the wind," she said. "The roof collapsed shortly after. We spent the night at a relative's house."
Police and disaster response personnel used cranes and chainsaws to remove uprooted trees from highways and railway tracks in multiple districts.
"We received continuous distress calls related to fallen trees, damaged houses and snapped electricity lines," a senior police officer in Fatehpur said. "Teams worked through the night to clear roads and shift injured people to hospitals."
Rail movement on the Delhi-Howrah route was disrupted for nearly 90 minutes after a tree fell on overhead electric lines in Fatehpur district. Railway officials said around 22 trains passing through Kanpur were affected before services resumed later in the evening.
Train operations on the Prayagraj-Jaunpur route were also suspended temporarily after a large tree fell across tracks between Tharwai and Sarai Chandi stations.
"Our priority was passenger safety," a railway official in Prayagraj said. "Technical teams restored the overhead systems and cleared the tracks despite difficult weather conditions."
While the storm brought temporary relief from intense heat in some parts of the state, southern districts including Bundelkhand continued to reel under severe temperatures.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, Banda recorded the highest temperature in the state at 45.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Jhansi at 44.5 degrees Celsius and Prayagraj at 43.5 degrees Celsius. Senior meteorologist Atul Kumar Singh said temperatures were likely to rise again from Thursday onward.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to complete relief work within 24 hours and ensure compensation for victims affected by the unseasonal storms and lightning strikes.
In a statement, Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and instructed district administrations to provide immediate medical aid, food and shelter to affected residents.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.