53 killed, 39 in UP, due to lightning, thunderstorms: MHA

New Delhi: As many as 53 people were killed, including 39 in Uttar Pradesh, due to lightning and thunderstorms in four states since last night, the Home Ministry said today.

As per information received from state governments, 39 people died in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Andhra Pradesh, four in West Bengal and one in Delhi due to lightning and thunderstorms during the intervening night of May 13 and 14, a ministry spokesperson said. 

Fifty-three people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and one in West Bengal. Dust storms and thunderstorms had wreaked havoc yesterday in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, leaving behind a trail of destruction. High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening in several places in north India, including Delhi.

Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department had said yesterday.