Death toll rises to 143 following Indian storms

A series of powerful super storms that tore through India this week have killed 143 people, as officials warned the death toll could rise with more extreme weather expected.


A deadly dust storm claimed 121 lives in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Punjab, while an electric storm, in which lightning struck an estimate 40,000 times, left 21 people dead in the country's south.

Thousands of people in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had their homes destroyed by the freak storm, which was packing winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour.

A total of 76 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous province, the state disaster management department said, with Agra district one of the worst hit areas, with at least 43 people killed.

"We couldn't sleep and were worried if the storm hits again. We took precautions and secured everything but nothing can stand up to nature's fury," an Agra resident said.
 (RTE)
 4/5/18