At least 90 killed as severe storm hits India’s Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW, India – At least 90 people have died after a powerful storm swept across Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, bringing heavy rain, hail, and ferocious winds, authorities said on Thursday. The state disaster management and relief office confirmed the toll, though a separate update from the relief commissioner’s office put the number at 89 as of late Wednesday.

The extreme weather, which struck on Wednesday evening, uprooted trees, toppled billboards, and caused dozens of houses to collapse. According to Reuters, 53 people were injured, 87 homes were damaged, and 114 livestock were killed by the combination of storms, rain, hail, and lightning.

Officials said many of the fatalities were caused by falling trees and collapsing walls. Television footage showed mangled roadside stalls, debris-strewn markets, and vehicles crushed under fallen structures. In several districts, power lines were brought down, leaving villages without electricity overnight.

Storms of this intensity are common in northern India during the hot season, which runs from March to June, just before the arrival of the annual monsoon rains. However, meteorologists noted that Wednesday’s system was unusually violent, with wind speeds exceeding 70 km/h (43 mph) in some areas.

Uttar Pradesh’s relief commissioner, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), described “adverse weather conditions” as the cause of the 89 deaths. The state’s chief minister, Yogi Adityanath a senior leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has directed district officials to provide immediate assistance to affected families. Compensation of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4,800) has been announced for each victim’s next of kin, and financial aid for the injured and for damaged property is to be distributed within 24 hours.

Disaster response teams have been deployed to clear fallen trees and restore power lines. Officials said the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, as some remote areas remain cut off.

The storm is one of the deadliest pre-monsoon weather events to hit the state in recent years. In 2018, a similar dust storm and lightning strikes killed more than 100 people across Uttar Pradesh and neighboring Rajasthan.

Local weather offices have issued warnings of more thunderstorms over the next 48 hours, urging residents to stay indoors and avoid sheltering under trees or dilapidated structures.

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