A severe storm accompanied by heavy rain has claimed at least 31 lives across several districts of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, leaving widespread destruction. The worst affected areas include Fatehpur, Bhadohi, Budaun, Prayagraj and Sonbhadra.
Officials said nine deaths were reported in Fatehpur, six in Bhadohi, five in Budaun and one in Sonbhadra. The storm also caused injuries to several people and damaged homes, trees and electricity infrastructure.
Trees, poles uprooted
In Bhadohi, authorities reported that strong winds uprooted trees and electricity poles and damaged houses in multiple areas. Communication services were also badly affected, making rescue and relief operations more difficult.
Additional District Magistrate Kunwar Virendra Kumar Maurya said teams of sub-divisional magistrates, tehsildars, police and other officials were visiting affected areas across all three tehsils to assess damage and carry out relief work.
"So far, we have received information on six deaths, but the number may rise,"
He added that the final figures on casualties and injuries would only be confirmed after detailed reports are received.
In Fatehpur, officials confirmed nine deaths and 16 injuries in storm-related incidents. Additional District Magistrate Avinash Tripathi said, Eight persons, including five women, were killed in Khaga tehsil, in Sadar tehsil, one woman was killed due to a house wall collapse. A total of nine deaths have been reported in storm-related incidents, while 16 people were injured,”.
Budaun district also saw heavy losses, where five people, including two minor girls, were killed in separate incidents caused by the storm and dust-laden winds. Several others were injured.
Two killed in house collapse
In Siddhpur Kaitholi village under Bisoli police station limits, two girls, Mausami (10) and Rajni (9), died when a mud wall of a hut collapsed on them. They had taken shelter inside the hut along with two women, Kallo and Neha, during the storm. The women were seriously injured.
In another incident in Tark Paroli village under Faizganj Behta police station area, a woman named Laxmi (40) died after a tree fell on a tubewell room where people had taken shelter. Three others, including Geeta, were injured and her condition is said to be critical.
On Bilsi Road in Bisoli area, truck driver Yogesh (32) died when a eucalyptus tree fell on his vehicle. In a separate case, Anshul Sharma (22) from Sahukara locality died after being hit by a falling tree while delivering food to his father.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hridesh Kumar Kataria said five deaths were reported in Bisoli and Faizganj Behta police station areas, along with around five injuries.
In Sonbhadra, a man identified as Madhav Singh (38) died in the Punnuganj police station area after a tree fell on him while he had stopped for shelter during the storm.
Over 17 killed in Prayagraj
Similarly, over 17 people have been killed in Prayagraj as well. The fatalities include 1 person in Sadar, 7 in Handia, 4 in Phulpur, 3 in Soraon, and 2 in Meja.
Among the deceased are five women, four children, and eight men.
The storm has also caused significant damage to property and livestock, with reports of 20 cases of animal loss and 16 houses being damaged.
The district administration is collecting detailed reports from all tehsils, while the revenue department is also gathering information to assess the full extent of the damage.
