Dust Storms and Lightning Kill at Least 96 in Northern India

Police and disaster response teams worked through the night using chainsaws and cranes to clear fallen trees from roads and railway tracks.

Mobile phone networks were disrupted across affected areas, slowing initial damage assessments. The storms damaged homes, crops and power infrastructure, particularly in rural parts of the state. In Prayagraj district, strong winds tore through neighborhoods, ripping off tin roofs and toppling trees.

Residents described sudden darkness and widespread panic as the storm struck without warning.

“The storm came suddenly and the sky turned completely dark within minutes. Tin roofs were flying and people ran indoors. We could hear trees falling throughout the evening.”

In Bhadohi district, which saw the highest toll with at least 16 deaths, a family escaped injury when the walls of their mud house began shaking violently and the roof collapsed moments later. They spent the night at a relative’s home. Similar incidents of wall collapses killed at least two people in Chandauli district.

Specific fatalities included two young girls, aged 10 and 9, who died when the mud wall of a hut they had taken shelter in gave way. Two women inside with them were seriously injured. In another village, a 40-year-old woman died after a tree fell on a tubewell room where several people had sought cover, causing the roof to collapse.

Three others were injured, one critically. A truck driver was killed when an eucalyptus tree fell on his vehicle near Bisoli. A 22-year-old man died after a tree fell on him while he was delivering food to his father. In Sonbhadra district, one man died after taking shelter under a tree that was struck or blown over.

Officials deployed emergency teams across the affected districts and directed that relief operations be completed within 24 hours. Authorities were told to provide compensation and emergency aid to families who lost homes or loved ones. Revenue, agriculture departments and insurance companies were instructed to survey crop and property damage.

“We rushed outside when the walls started shaking because of the wind. Our roof collapsed moments later. We spent the night at a relative’s house.”

Storms are common in northern India from March to June ahead of the annual monsoon. However, hail of this intensity is unusual in mid-May, when temperatures typically exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The region has been experiencing an intense heatwave this spring, with India recording many of the world’s hottest cities in late April.

Uttar Pradesh, home to about 240 million people, is especially vulnerable to pre-monsoon weather extremes because of its dense rural population and construction practices that rely on mud and lightweight roofing. Disaster teams continued clearing debris and restoring power on Thursday as assessments of total damage continued.