Many killed as storm rips through Delhi, UP, Bengal and other states
BY ABHAY SINGH and SAYANTAN GHOSH14 May 2018 1:36 AM IST
ABHAY SINGH and SAYANTAN GHOSH14 May 2018 7:08 AM IST
New Delhi: A violent dust storm and rain, with a wind speed of 70 km per hour, hit Delhi on Sunday evening, grounding flights, uprooting trees and costing two lives. Nine people were killed in Uttar Pradesh and another nine people have died in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South, which witnessed a storm too.
At least ten people were killed and over ten injured in different districts of West Bengal.
Operations at the Delhi airport were hit, and at least 40 flights were diverted. The met office said thunderstorms are expected across north-west India over the next 48-72 hours, as several weather phenomenon including western disturbances, converge. A thunderstorm alert has been issued for states from Jammu and Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh and also in the east and northeast India.
The sky turned dark grey around 4:30 pm. Gusty winds and rain lashed the national capital, causing the temperature to drop around ten notches.
The much-needed reprieve came after a sweltering day when the maximum temperature had reached 40.60 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal. Humidity during the morning hours was recorded at 60 per cent, a MeT official said.
The strong winds knocked down many trees in the city.
Four incidents of wall collapse were reported from Najafgarh, Transit Camp, Nehru Place, Mohan Garden in Uttam Nagar and Raj Nagar in Palam, said a senior officer from the Delhi Fire Service.
Delhi Police on Sunday claimed that two were killed and 18 others w injured due to the dust storm in the city. According to the senior police officer, a woman died after a tree fell on her in Pandav Nagar area. A nineteen-year-old was also killed when a pile of bricks fell on him in Jaitpur in south-east Delhi.
"More than 189 trees and 40 electric poles were uprooted due to the storm," added the senior officer.
Operations at the Delhi airport came to a halt due to the dust storm.
At least 40 flights were diverted and more than 24 delayed, an official said.
Metro operations were affected at many stations on the Violet and Blue lines after trees fell on overhead electricity (OHE) wires.
The Northern Railways said the train movement was disrupted on the section between the Hazrat Nizamuddin and Palwal stations due to tree felling.
A few passenger and freight trains were held up for around 25 minutes because of the disruption. The Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express was also stopped near Sonepat due to the uprooting of trees.
According to MeT department officials, the Safdarjung Observatory gauged 4.2 mm of rainfall. The Palam, Aya Nagar and Lodhi Road areas recorded 0.8, 6.4 and 2.1 mm of precipitation.
The weatherman forecast partly cloudy skies and the possibility of light rainfall on Monday.
The officials said two squalls whipped through the national capital. One clocking 109 kmph hit the Safdarjung area at 4:44 pm and continued till 4:46 pm. The other gusting to 96 kmph battered the Palam area at 4:33 pm.
Next Story